


Mind Game

by silverfox419



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: (oh my god they were roommates), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Captivity, Character Death, Confused Naegi Makoto, Dork Naegi Makoto, Emotional Manipulation, Enoshima & Naegi Centric, Enoshima Junko Being Enoshima Junko, F/F, F/M, Fujisaki Chihiro Grows a Spine, Gen, Guilt, Hope vs. Despair, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I think?, M/M, Manipulation, Minor Character Death, Naegi Makoto has Plot Armor, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Suicide, Survivor Guilt, Threats of Violence, and they were ROOMMATES, does this count as angst?, slowly, you can take some of the ships as either platonic or romantic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 28,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24568711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverfox419/pseuds/silverfox419
Summary: Naegi Makoto finds himself in a strange room filled with security footage. Wait... why is Enoshima Junko here?aka makoto wakes up in the data center instead of the random classroom he woke up in at the beginning of the game
Relationships: Alter Ego & Fujisaki Chihiro, Asahina Aoi/Ogami Sakura, Enoshima Junko & Naegi Makoto, Fujisaki Chihiro & Kirigiri Kyoko, Fujisaki Chihiro & Owada Mondo, Fukawa Touko/Togami Byakuya (one-sided), Ikusaba Mukuro/Naegi Makoto (implied), Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo (background), Kirigiri Kyoko & Naegi Makoto, Kirigiri Kyoko & Togami Byakuya, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 235
Kudos: 368





	1. Her Show Begins

Makoto found himself laying on an unknown desk. Supposedly, he fell asleep after walking into Hope's Peak Academy. That... doesn't make much sense, he thought to himself. Did he pass out from the adrenaline of actually attending the prestigious Hope's Peak? And... someone carried him here? Wait.

"Where am I?" Makoto wondered aloud. He lifted his head to look around. "Huh?" He found himself looking up at a wall filled top to bottom with what looked like security footage. Around him were various other desks, one with a few computers atop. Overall, the room looked very futuristic-y. There was, however, something there that was not like the others. On the same wall with the security footage, there was a door with a black and white design on it. It looked like... a bear? "What the heck?" Makoto murmured to himself. This was definitely weird. Wasn't he supposed to be in Hope's Peak? Makoto continued to ask questions in his head as he wiped drool from his mouth- probably from sleeping.

His questions were suddenly interrupted by a feminine voice behind him. "Oh, so you're finally awake?" Makoto jumped from his seat and turned around. There he saw a teenaged-looking girl with big bushy pigtails. He'd recognize her anywhere.

"Wait... E-Enoshima-san??" Makoto shouted in surprise. "What are _you _doing here?"__

__"You should be wondering the same thing for yourself," she said with a smirk. Makoto shuddered. Something about that look in her eye was... unsettling._ _

__"You're... you're an Ultimate, right? Wh-where are the others?" Makoto felt his mouth getting dry. But what was there to be nervous about? He was sure that this was a perfectly normal thing to be happening and a perfectly normal girl standing right in front of him. Well, as normal as an Ultimate could get._ _

__"Why don't you go look for yourself?" Enoshima encouraged, motioning towards the wall of screens. Makoto furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and looked towards the footage. A quick scan later, he found a screen showing people collected together in a gym. Makoto recognized a few of them, such as the Ultimate Pop Sensation and the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader._ _

__"That's the entrance ceremony, right? How come we're not out there with them?" Makoto found himself asking._ _

__"I don't have the time to explain everything right now, so let's just say we're a special case," Enoshima informed, walking up to where Makoto was standing._ _

__"A special case?" Makoto asked with a dumbfounded look. How could he, along with the Ultimate Fashionista, be a special case? He was just a completely average teenage boy while Enoshima was... well, Enoshima._ _

__"Yup! And you miiiight need to hear what's going on out there, so lemme set up this TV real quick!" Enoshima said all cutesy like. Makoto watched her do just that as the uneasy feeling grew inside him. The TV popped on to reveal the students who were gathered in the gym. Makoto could hear them talking among themselves. "This TV displays live footage of the most heart-pounding scene unfolding in the building! Though not much is going on right now, this is what it's showing because everyone's in the gym, got it?" Enoshima explained. Makoto observed the people on the screen, their expressions matching his._ _

__As Makoto stared at the TV, a variety of questions came bursting out of his mouth. "What is this? Why is this TV here? Why does it show... the 'most heart-pounding scene?' Why aren't we at Hope's Peak? Where even-" Makoto was interrupted by a finger coming to his lips._ _

__Enoshima's voice suddenly became oddly professional. "Shhh... no more questions. I have some business to attend to." Makoto looked up to see glasses on her face, a clip-board in her hand, and her hair tied into one ponytail. He backed up in surprise, but said nothing. A sly smile was plastered onto Enoshima's face. Or maybe he was just imagining it. She slowly walked off to the black and white door, taking one last glance at Makoto before stepping inside._ _

__"...What just happened?" Makoto quietly asked himself. Just then, he heard a voice coming from the TV that stood out from the others. It was... oddly cheerful. The sort of misplaced cheerfulness that was enough to fill anyone with a sense of dread._ _

__"Hey there, howdy, hello! Is everyone here? Good! Then let's get things rolling!"_ _

__

__It was bad when that so-called "Monokuma" made his appearance. It was bad when just seeing the stuffed animal- er, headmaster?- sent Makoto shaking in his boots (what exactly he was scared of, he didn't know for sure). It was bad when his apparent classmates were told they would be trapped in the school. But it got worse. It got worse when Monokuma announced that the only way to escape would be to end another person's life. To commit murder. Makoto felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of it. There's no way this was real, right? It had to be a joke, or a dream, or... or something else that meant this wasn't real. No one would kill anyone. Right? Makoto didn't have time to indulge in those thoughts much longer as a loud bang came from his left. Enoshima had slammed the door open, and was power-walking straight towards him._ _

__"E-Enoshima-san! Did you see what happened out there?!" Makoto asked her with a touch of panic. He tried to steady himself, but it wasn't working very well. He was starting to get light-headed._ _

__"Are you fuckin' kidding me? Of course I saw what happened out there, I'm the one who made it happen!" she yelled out, her voice rough and her eyes wild._ _

__Makoto suddenly found it hard to swallow. "You... you made it happen? What'd you mean?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know._ _

__Tears formed in Enoshima's eyes and she started tugging at her hair. "Oh... I guess you didn't notice that the door I went through has Monokuma's face on it. How despairful." Makoto glanced at the door, and sure enough, there was said Monokuma face. How did he miss that before? Was it the lighting? Or was he just too freaked out about what Monokuma actually said to notice his connection with the door? Yeah, that was probably it. Makoto shakily turned his attention back to Enoshima, who had stopped crying. "Your observational skills are really terrible, Naegi-kun. You might even consider it good luck for you to be here!"_ _

__"What... wait, how do you know my name?" This was all too much. It was hard to keep track of everything going on._ _

__Enoshima rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Ugh, how could I _not _know your name when my idiot sister won't shut up about you?"___ _

____"What? What'd you mean? Why-" Makoto started asking, but he was cut off._ _ _ _

____"She's the reason you're here, by the way. So you can blame her ass for everything that'll end up happening here!" Enoshima stuck out her tongue devilishly._ _ _ _

____"I... I think I need to go." Makoto managed to say. There was too much to process. He felt like he was gonna throw up. Before common sense told him otherwise, Makoto started rushing towards the far door. The sound of footsteps behind him only made him go faster. He needed- he needed some air. He needed to calm down. Makoto flung himself at the doorknob, but before he could even think to turn it, there was a sharp pain on the side of his head. He suddenly found himself on the ground, looking up at Enoshima towering above him. The last thing he saw before he went unconscious was her face. She looked vaguely annoyed._ _ _ _


	2. You Don't Have a Choice

Makoto woke to a pounding in his skull and an ache in his back. What happened...? Slowly as to not aggravate the pain in his head, Makoto sat up in his chair. "Where- oh. Right." As he looked around the room, the memories from yesterday- uh, earlier?- came flooding back. He groaned into his arm. Enoshima had knocked him out, right? Why? Makoto's thought process skidded to a halt as he suddenly realized something.

"Wait. Where even is she?" Enoshima was no where in sight. Well... while he was here, he might as well try and process all that new information he got. Okay, so... not only were his classmates trapped wherever they were, he thought as he glanced at the various screens on the wall, but Makoto seemed to not be able to get out of this room if his headache had anything to say about it. He silently watched the people on the screens. They were split up and seemed to be searching the building. And... what about what Monokuma said? About... about them having to kill each other? This situation might be crazy enough for that to be an actual thing that's happening, but there's no way anyone would actually do that, right?

Makoto didn't have any more time to think as the Monokuma door opened. Enoshima's eyes immediately locked onto Makoto's. Right. Apparently, Enoshima also "made this happen." Makoto instinctively stiffened at the thought as Enoshima came walking over.

"Jeez, you really took your sweet time waking up," Enoshima complained.

"You're the one who knocked me out!" Makoto countered. Only a few seconds in and he was already tired of dealing with her.

"It's not my fault you're hopelessly fragile. You're so fragile I barely had to touch your head to the wall and you were out cold," Enoshima said as she casually sat on the desk in front of him.

"St-stop!" Makoto clutched his head and shut his eyes tight. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear much about how Enoshima nearly cracked his head open.

"But you know... you wouldn't have been able to open that door anyway. It's locked from both sides, and takes a key to open," Enoshima said slyly.

"Seriously!? Then- then why'd you even knock me out in the first place!" Makoto wasn't usually one to snap at people, but Enoshima seemed to make it really easy.

"I was practically dying of boredom. Causing havoc is pretty much an essential for me." Enoshima leaned back on the desk, her hands supporting her. "Plus, your reaction is priceless!" she laughed.

He needed to talk about something else. Hopefully something less crazy. "You were controlling Monokuma a bit ago, right? That's why the door has that design. What were you doing?"

She re-positioned herself to look at the security footage. He could see people migrating to a dining area. "Just telling Maizono-san and Fujisaki-kun about how the food'll get restocked every night. I'm kind enough to not let everyone starve before they get the chance to kill anyone."

Makoto scowled at that. "There's no way that'll happen! You might as well just let everyone go." He stared at her, determination warm in his chest.

"Wow, you really are naive, Naegi-kun! Dear old Mukuro was right about you not lasting a second out there." Enoshima taunted.

The fire died down at the mention of that name. "'Mukuro?' Is that your sister you mentioned earlier?" Enoshima had said it was her sister's fault that Makoto was there. What was the story behind that?

Enoshima's voice turned regal and she pulled a crown out of no where, putting her hands on her hips. "Of course, peasant! She came to us last minute to declare that you would be a problem to our plans if left unsupervised." She swatted the crown off her head and held her hand up to her face as her voice grew monotone. "Of course, I knew it was just so you wouldn't end up dying. You're kind of famous for being a clumsy pathetic loser, after all." Makoto tried to ignore the jab as he listened to Enoshima's explanation. Her sister wanted to protect him? But why?

"If you saw through her reasoning, then why am I here now?" Enoshima seemed to be willing to give up a lot of information right now, and he wasn't about to _not _take advantage of it. Anything could help him try to escape or help out the others.__

____

Enoshima made devil horns with her hands as she yelled out, "Of course I saw through her weak-ass excuse, but I decided to accept anyway! I was fuckin' surprised she even stepped up to say something in the first place, and besides, it woulda been boring as shit bein' in here by myself the whole time!"

____

"So I'm just here to keep you company?" Makoto asked in disbelief. Why was any of this happening to anyone? It didn't make sense.

____

Enoshima shrugged. "More or less. Anyway, it's almost night time, so I gotta make an announcement." She hopped out of her seat and walked towards the TV (which was still on; conversations had been talking place but Makoto hadn't been paying attention to them), and muted it.

____

"An announcement?" Makoto repeated. "Wait. Night time?" He walked into Hope's Peak early in the morning. It was night time already?

____

Enoshima went to open the cabinet in the TV stand. "Yep and yep. You were out like a light most of the day. And there's gonna be morning and night announcements, too. You know, so everyone knows what time it is without having to look at a clock." She grabbed a camera and tripod out of the cabinet, and started setting it up behind the desk in the middle of the room. "Oh, and you're gonna need to be veeeery quiet while I'm recording! Otherwise I miiiiight have to cut your tongue out! That'd be really messy, ya know?" Enoshima said in her weird cutesy voice, which made it all the more disturbing.

____

"Y-you've got to be joking..." Makoto said as his voice shook. His stomach churned as unwanted imagery swam in his head.

____

"You ballsy enough to find out?" Enoshima asked, walking towards the Monokuma door.

____

"Nnnot really," Makoto breathed. Why was the Ultimate Fashionista so deranged?

____

"Thought so. Anyways, stay there and shut your mouth until I come back out." She then promptly went inside.

____

Not a moment later, Monokuma came out from no where, causing Makoto to flinch. He almost commented on the drink Monokuma was holding, but quickly remembered the threat hanging over his head. Makoto swallowed nervously as Monokuma made his way to the chair. He seemed to be struggling to sit on it, with it being a spinny chair and Monokuma being a drink-holding remote-controlled robobear. Makoto might have laughed if it weren't for the dire situation.

____

Once Monokuma was finally seated, he started his announcement (had Enoshima pressed the record button before hand?). He basically said the time (10pm) and that no one was allowed in the dining hall. Makoto quietly and nervously fiddled with his zipper as the announcement went on. It did eventually end, though, and Monokuma did eventually go off to who knows where with his fruity-looking drink. Makoto let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Enoshima came through the door shortly after.

____

"Wow, Naegi-kun, you didn't screw it up. You actually proved you can be semi-competent," she said, unmuting the TV.

____

"Um. Thanks?" How was he supposed to talk to someone who just threatened him?

____

"Yeah, yeah. Anyways-" she started as she expertly turned her pigtails into one ponytail and pulled glasses and a clipboard out of who knows where, "-I still have some things to attend to. Step one, edit this video," she explained as she grabbed the camera and stopped recording. "Step two, broadcast it once the time reaches 10pm. Step three, restock what little food the students may have eaten."

____

"O...kay..." Makoto might have jumped at the mention of food, but he honestly didn't have much of an appetite.

____

She threw the clipboard and glasses aside and quickly changed her hair back to pigtails. How did she even do that so fast? "God, take the hint. I'm saying you don't really have anything else to do right now, so you might as well go to sleep for the night," Enoshima pushily suggested as she sat effortlessly in the same spinny chair Monokuma had struggled to sit in. "Or don't. I'm not your mom."

____

"Okay. I... I guess I'll do that," Makoto reluctantly agreed. It was probably best to stay on her good side. At least until he figured out how to get out of here. "Um. Am I supposed to just sleep in a chair?" he asked, watching Enoshima edit the announcement.

____

"Or the floor. Or a desk. Not like I care," she said dismissively.

____

"Uh. Right," he mumbled. Makoto adjusted his position, trying to get as comfortable as possible as he layed his head on the desk. His back was gonna kill him. Sighing, he shut his eyes. Makoto didn't feel safe in the slightest, but he was exhausted enough to eventually fall into a restless sleep.

____


	3. All Those Weary Souls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> formatting was out to get me this chapter

"Hey. Wake up." Makoto shifted.

"Five more minutes..." he sleepily replied to the voice.

"I said get your lazy ass up!" the voice yelled. Then Makoto's hair was pulled, yanking his head up.

"Ow! What was that for- oh." That wasn't Komaru.

"I was gonna start recording the morning announcement, but you were snoring way too loud. Probably loud enough for the whole world to hear!" Enoshima said as snotty as she could.

Makoto felt his face get hot. "S-sorry." He wasn't actually sure if he snored or not, but it was probably best not to get into an argument with her if he could help it.

"So I'm gonna start recording now. You know what to do, yeah?" Makoto supposed the threat from yesterday still applied. He nodded weakly. "Good." That's all she said before she stepped into the Monokuma room.

Makoto glanced at the spot the last announcement was recorded, a little surprised to see Monokuma already set up on the seat, drink and everything. I guess she didn't want to waste time again, he thought.

The announcement went off without a hitch. Monokuma basically just said the time (7am) and that it was time to wake up. Like a glorified alarm clock. If you could even call that glorified... 

As soon as Monokuma left to who knows where, Enoshima quickly took his place. And she was crying. Now that Makoto thought about it, it was kinda weird how often Enoshima seemed to change personalities, huh. "I guess I have to edit this now..." she mumbled into a clump of her hair. "It's despairingly boring, but I guess it has to be done..." She sighed.

"Um... Enoshima? Can I take a look around the room?" He didn't actually know if he had to ask, but he decided it was better safe than sorry.

Her tears immediately dried. "Huh? Yeah, sure," she said as she focused on editing the recording. "Just don't break anything. And don't go into the control room either."

Makoto nodded, though Enoshima wasn't even facing him. Since he got here, he hadn't actually taken a close look at the room yet. It was about time this investigation started. He needed anything that might be useful to him in this situation.

First, he looked over to the camera that was still positioned behind Enoshima. It looked like a digital camera. Enoshima used it to record the announcements. Makoto kind of doubted he could use it for anything. He looked up from the camera. The Monokuma door stared back at him. It supposedly led to the "control room," but was anything else in there? He hasn't even seen the inside of it yet. Maybe he could find his way inside some day...

Makoto turned his attention to the various screens on the wall. There were tons of rooms being monitored. Most everyone was still asleep. Wait... huh? "Enoshima, why's there someone who looks like you?" He looked back at her as if to make sure she was still there.

"Uh, that's Mukuro. You know, my twin sister?" Oh. So they were twins. "Have you really not seen her up until now? I almost can't believe how incompetent you are."

"Wait, but... that'd mean that your sister is participating in this messed up game you made!" Didn't that mean Mukuro was at risk of dying?

"Aww, look at Naegi-chan using his brain!" Enoshima cooed. "So what if she's participating?"

"...Never mind," he sighed. No one was gonna kill anyone anyway. Enoshima shrugged and went back to what she was doing.

As Makoto continued to look around the room, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Wait... was that a security camera? Why was there one in here?

Enoshima seemed to catch him staring at it, because she decided to comment on it. "Don't worry, I disabled this room from getting showcased on the big screen for now. We're kind of a secret, after all.

Makoto blinked. "What's _that _supposed to mean?" They were a secret? And why was the TV showing this room a problem? Weren't they the only ones seeing it?__

____

Enoshima paused. "...it means I don't wanna have to fuckin' explain it," she said as she stuck her tongue out at him. Dammit. Guess he wasn't getting _that _answered any time soon. Enoshima went back to her thing as Makoto walked over to his next destination.__

______ _ _

The TV apparently broadcasted "the most heart-pounding scene." Makoto didn't understand it, but Enoshima seemed to be pretty confident in that fact. Currently, it was switching between the dorms of the few people who were awake. Makoto guessed there wasn't much happening right now. It also seemed to be muted, probably from when Enoshima started recording the morning announcement. Makoto opened the cabinet that was built into the TV stand. He remembered this was where the camera came from. Looking inside, there seemed to be some other stuff in there as well. He pulled them out one by one.

______ _ _

First, some microchip thing. It looked pretty cool, but he doubted it could be any use to him. Next he pulled out a box cutter. That... seemed like it could be dangerous. He switched the blade out and lightly touched the point end of it. Yep, definitely sharp. Makoto quietly switched the blade back in and set it next to the computer part. Hopefully that won't be used to carry out any threats made. He grimaced at the thought as he moved on.

______ _ _

The next and last item was a dust cloth. Well, if he ever got bored, he guessed he could dust the place. Makoto always thought dust cloths were weird to the touch. They just had such a strange texture, Makoto thought as he absentmindedly rubbed the cloth in his hands. Maybe it could distract him from what's going on around him. Makoto started to put away the various items he had found, but before he got to the last one, Enoshima suddenly popped into his field of view.

______ _ _

"Holy crap!" Makoto yelled out in surprise.

______ _ _

"Jeez, calm down." Enoshima rolled her eyes. She said that, but Makoto wouldn't doubt that she got some sort of sadistic pleasure from a reaction like that. He looked down in mild embarrassment. "Were you even listening to me? I said we're gonna watch some TV cause I haven't been doing much of that."

______ _ _

"Oh... I guess I wasn't." Did the dust cloth really distract him that much? ...Wait, where'd it go? Makoto glanced around and saw the dust cloth on the ground a little ways behind him. He probably threw it in the air out of surprise when he was jumpscared by Enoshima... He'd leave it there for now. Enoshima was still trying to talk to him.

______ _ _

"I've already finished editing and broadcasting the announcement," Enoshima said. Makoto looked towards the monitors and sure enough, people were beginning to get out and about. As he watched people eating in the dining hall, though...

______ _ _

"Um. Is there something here I can eat?" Makoto asked meekly. It was only just now he realized how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten since before he got here.

______ _ _

"Hmm, nah. I'll just let you starve," Enoshima casually said, like she was deciding what to order off of a menu.

______ _ _

Makoto's heart dropped. "Wh-what??"

______ _ _

"Pffft- haha! Your face!" Enoshima laughed. "I'm kidding. I'll be right back," she said as she unmuted the TV, still giggling. "Watch this in the meantime." Then she started walking towards the Monokuma door.

______ _ _

"Th-that's not funny!" Makoto yelled after her. But she was already gone. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he turned his attention to the TV. He was surprised to find a conversation between Maizono Sayaka from his junior high and someone else. It was a little hard to see who because the camera angle was from the inside of the dorm and they were having a conversation at the door.

______ _ _

_"Oh, Fujisaki-san! Perfect timing!" _...Well that answered that. Fujisaki was the Ultimate Programmer, right? It seemed like forever ago that Makoto did his research on the Ultimates. _"Listen, I have a favor to ask." _Maizono said.____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

_"Huh...? A-" _Whatever else Fujisaki might have said got drowned out by the sound of Enoshima coming in.__

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Here's Enoshima Junko-chan! What'd I miss?" she yelled out. Makoto trailed his eyes on the food she was holding and tried not to act too desperate.

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Oh, uh... Maizono-san wants to ask Fujisaki-san a favor," he replied. Enoshima made a weird face but otherwise didn't comment.

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Well anyways, I got you some rice," Enoshima said as she handed him a small bowl of rice. It wasn't much, but at least it was something.

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Thanks..." he said quietly. Makoto wasn't about to wait any longer to eat, so he dug right in. ...Even though there weren't any chopsticks or silverware or anything. But that didn't matter.

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"You might as well make yourself comfortable," she suggested, sitting on a desk in front of the TV and unwrapping a granola bar. Makoto obliged, pulling up a chair while still holding onto his bowl of rice. The two turned there attention to the TV as they munched on their food.

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Maizono and Fujisaki were still in the middle of their conversation. _"...whoever's keeping us here could show up and attack us any time. You never know..." _Maizono said. Makoto nervously glanced at Enoshima. She seemed slightly amused. He didn't actually know if Enoshima would go all the way to where the others were to try and hurt them, but he wouldn't put it past her.__

_____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_"O-Oh... I guess that's true..." _Fujisaki said. She sounded scared and dejected. Makoto kind of wished he could take her place so she wouldn't have to feel that way.__

_______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Maizono nodded. _"So I just... want to be able to protect myself no matter what happens." _It hurt Makoto to see them like this. If only he could find a way to help...!__

_________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_"I understand..." _said Fujisaki.__

___________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_"Oh, the gym? Okay, let's go!" _Huh? Did the footage skip or something? As Maizono walked out the door, Makoto could see a glimpse of Fujisaki, surprise written on her face. Was she as confused as he was? Suddenly, it cut to the main hall, where Owada Mondo and another person seemed to be looking for something.__

_____________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Hey, what happened? Why'd it stop following Maizono-san and Fujisaki-san?" Makoto asked. He put his bowl down on the desk next to him. He'd been holding an empty bowl for a while now.

_____________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Enoshima yawned. "Watching people just walk through the hallways is way too boring if there's nothing going on. So it just switched to the next best thing."

_____________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_"Gonna friggin' die of boredom..." _the red-haired guy complained.__

_______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"...which still isn't all that great," she sighed.

_______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Suddenly Makoto sneezed, his head propelling forward. **CRASH! ******

_____________________******** _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Wh-what the!?" Makoto looked to where the noise came from. The rice bowl he ate from was in pieces on the ground.

_____________________******** _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Wow, nice dodge," Enoshima said dryly, though a hint of curiosity glinted in her eyes.

_____________________******** _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Did you throw that at me??" He'd nearly forgotten how crazy his "roommate" was.

_____________________******** _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Nah, it was probably ghosts." She rolled her eyes. "Of course it was me. It was getting a little boring in here." There seemed to be a pattern of destruction following Enoshima's boredom...

_____________________******** _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Makoto attempted to distract Enoshima with something else. "Um, s-so who's that guy with the red hair? The one with all the piercings?" he asked, eyeing the broken bowl. How did she miss from so close? He looked back at Enoshima to see that she'd done that weird teacher act.

_____________________******** _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

She tapped a pen on her clipboard. "That is Kuwata Leon, the Ultimate Baseball Star."

_____________________******** _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Makoto did a double take. "Oh...! I didn't recognize him with that hairstyle. I guess he grew it out." As quickly as the two had left, Maizono and Fujisaki were back on the main screen.

_____________________******** _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Enoshima quickly abandoned her teacher persona. "Ugh, finally! I was gonna fuckin' die of boredom!" Well that sounded familiar.

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Maizono said something about a display case, and Fujisaki pointed out a golden replica sword. _"Oh, good eye!" _Maizono said. But when she went to pick it up... _"Oh! Wow, my hands are totally gold! Even if it's for self defense, I think it's a little..." _____

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_"Maybe we should put it back," _Fujisaki timidly suggested.__

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_"I think you should take it! You know, for decoration," _Maizono offered with a smile on her face. Makoto could hear Enoshima stifling a laugh next to him. What was her deal...?__

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_"Oh... I-I'm sorry Maizono-san, but I don't really want a sword in my room. Even if it is just a replica..." _Fujisaki said with tears in her eyes. Maizono paused, and Fujisaki apologized again shortly after.__

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_"It's okay, I forgive you. We don't need this thing anyway. But as long as we're here, let's hang out a bit more." _The two started talking, if not awkwardly. Enoshima looked bored again. That probably wasn't good. Makoto silently prayed to whatever god was out there that something would catch her interest. Preferably something harmless.__

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And his prayers were answered. Somewhere along the way, the two on screen started talking about dreams. And as Maizono described chasing her dream, things got a little... different. _"...I did whatever it took to reach that dream. I mean it. Even some things that... weren't so pleasant." _What was that supposed to mean?__

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_"H-huh?" _Fujisaki looked nervous. Enoshima had a sick smile on her face. What was going on?__

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With a dark look on her face, Maizono just went on and on about how focused you have to be to achieve your dream. Was it really that tough?

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_"I think I know how you feel... I haven't started reaching for my dream yet, but I imagine it'd take a lot of work to achieve it," _Fujisaki said.__

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_"It does take a lot of work, but it's super fun! But... that's exactly what scares me." _Maizono replied. Then she went on about how happy she was with her group, and her fear of the world forgetting about them. Apparently, that was the reason she went to Hope's Peak. So that success in her life would be guaranteed. But instead, she was trapped there with no way out. Maizono's face grew pale, and her hands shook as she continued on about the world forgetting about her. Suddenly, Maizono cried out, _"I can't afford to be stuck in here!"___

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_____ _

Enoshima cackled next to him. "Ahhh...! The despair in her face! The seeds of despair are finally taking root! It's only a matter of time, Naegi-kun!" She was way too excited about this.

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_____ _

"No, that's wrong! There's no way anyone's gonna kill someone! Because I... I believe in them!" Makoto cried out.

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"Real cute Naegi-kun," she said with a scowl, "but these are the perfect conditions for a murder to take place. Your disgusting hope will run out soon enough, and the world's along with it."

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_____ _

"Huh?" That threw Makoto off. Wasn't that a bit of an exaggeration?

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Enoshima paused, then promptly got up from her seat and backed away. "Ew, stop staring at me like that. I know I'm hopelessly beautiful, but that makes you seem like a pervert."

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"Wh-what?? That's not what I-" Makoto started, his face getting hot, but he was cut off.

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_____ _

"See ya, Naegi-kun!" Then she went through the Monokuma door. What was that about? Maybe she was trying to change the subject or something? Makoto shook his head, trying to forget about the awkward thing she said.

_____ _

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_____ _

The rest of the day was rather uneventful. Enoshima came out of the Monokuma room, seemingly forgetting about what had happened just prior. The two watched the security footage, which was just people talking about various things, up until the night time announcement. Apparently, Enoshima had set up a timer so that the morning and night announcements would play automatically. That was practical. Once night time hit, Makoto slept at the desk furthest from the shards of rice bowl. They weren't exactly comfortable to be around.

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Then again, neither was Enoshima.

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	4. Beyond These Noisy Gates

On the third day of Makoto's time there, he woke to the sound of Monokuma's morning announcement. Like yesterday, he and Enoshima watched the TV footage while munching on some food. It almost felt like a routine, and that's what scared him the most. How long until this came to an end? How long until he and his classmates could go free?

A while after Makoto finished his rice, he realized something. "Umm... by the way, is there a bathroom I can use around here?" He guessed he hadn't really had to go since he'd barely been eating anything and he hadn't drank at all. ...That probably wasn't good.

Enoshima let out a dramatic sigh. "Yeah, but I have to babysit you so you don't mess with anything." And after Makoto made a face, "...Don't worry, I'm not going in there with you. Stop being such a pervert."

"S-sorry." Makoto knew he probably didn't have to apologize, but he couldn't help it.

"Anyway, follow me," Enoshima ordered as she got up and walked towards the Monokuma door. Wait. The Monokuma door?? Makoto was finally going inside? What could be in there? Well, you know, besides controls to Monokuma and a bathroom. Makoto could feel his heartbeat quicken as he awaited the reveal.

Enoshima opened the door and invited him inside. It was... quite a bit smaller than he had imagined. But it was also very futureistic-y. Even more so than the main room. Enoshima walked in after him and closed the door behind them.

"Okay, so... where's the bathroom?" Makoto asked. Sure, it was cool to be in there actually, but there was a reason he went there in the first place.

"Jeez, be patient. We're getting there," Enoshima scolded. It vaguely reminded Makoto of when he and Komaru would ask their parents if they were "There Yet" during a car ride when they were little.

Then Enoshima squatted down and lifted a hatch on the floor that Makoto barely noticed was there. She motioned for him to climb on down, which he did. Inside was a huge walk-in style pantry stocked with shelves and shelves of food. Well, more like drop-in style. Makoto continued walking as he looked around. There were even a couple refrigerators and a microwave!

"So this is where you got the food..." Makoto commented. Moving further along, he spotted two doors at the end of the room. One on the left, one on the right.

"The bathroom's the one on the left," Enoshima directed. Makoto nodded and stepped inside. There he found a one-person bathroom, completed with a shower. He probably needed to bathe, but Makoto didn't want to keep Enoshima waiting. He quickly did his business and washed his hands, making sure to take a few gulps of water from the sink before heading out.

"What took you so long? Never mind, don't answer that," Enoshima said, leaning against the wall.

"It wasn't that long..." Makoto muttered. "Anyway, what's behind that other door?" he asked as a smooth attempt to change the subject but also just cause he was curious. He figured the mystery door in the main room was some sort of exit based on Enoshima's reaction to him trying to go through on the first day, but Makoto had no clue what could be through this door.

Enoshima balled her hands up and put her arms in a cutesy pose. "It's a secret~!" Just another question that had yet to be answered. Another mystery that had yet to be solved. Makoto tried not to express his disappointment as he walked back towards the hatch. Walking through the shelves of food, he was tempted to try and secretly take something for later, but Enoshima would surely notice, and who knows what would happen then.

The rest of the day continued on in that "routine" fashion, with Makoto and Enoshima sitting in front of the TV watching people's conversations. It was probably pretty creepy and morally not-very-right, but Makoto didn't have much else to do and Enoshima wanted him to watch anyway. He went to "bed" once night time hit, but stayed awake long enough to see Enoshima wander into the Monokuma room, doing who knows what. Makoto fell asleep quickly afterword.

Makoto couldn't help but be annoyed to wake up to the sound of Monokuma's voice yet again. It was a daily reminder on how messed up this situation was. Makoto could feel the fatigue piling up. Not only was he mentally exhausted of having to live this way, he was also physically exhausted. He barely had anything to eat or drink, and he could hardly be considered exercising at all. He hadn't bathed at all, either, and he was starting to feel pretty grimy. Makoto sighed as he stretched in his seat. Sleeping hunched over on a desk was not good for his back. But it was okay...! Help would come soon. This nightmare had to be over eventually. As Makoto gave himself that mini pep talk, he felt his energy for the day replenish. He looked to Enoshima who seemed... way more upbeat than usual.

"Huh? Did something happen?" Makoto asked to a grinning Enoshima.

"Not yet, but something _will_ happen!" Enoshima giggled. "I have plans for today."

"You have... plans?" That couldn't be good. What if she really did try to kill someone? "If you don't mind, could you tell me your plans?"

Enoshima's smile grew wider. "Well, things have been pretty boring for the past few days. Nobody's been killing anyone. So I've decided to... push them in the right direction." She motioned for him to sit in front of the TV with her. As he shakily walked over, he saw that people had gathered in the dining hall. One of them was yelling something about a "breakfast meeting." Makoto grabbed the bowl of rice already set on a desk as he sat down.

As the conversation through the screen continued on, Makoto noticed something weird. "Enoshima, your sister knows that you're the one behind this, right? How come she's acting like she doesn't know anything?"

"That's cause she _is_ acting, pea brain. We're in it together. Though, I'm the one doing most of the work," she added proudly.

"Oh..." He guessed he hadn't thought of that. But maybe since Mukuro didn't want Makoto to die, she wasn't all bad. He held onto that hope as he continued watching.

As the murderous fiend Genocide Jack was mentioned as a contender for the one behind all this, Enoshima laughed. "Pfft- as if I'd be that crazy chick! They really are grasping for straws, aren't they." Makoto tried to ignore her comments as the group kept talking.

Eventually one of the girls tried comforting the group. _"It's okay! Everything's absolutely, positively, one hundred percent without a doubt gonna be okay! Cuz help's gonna be here soon, I'm sure of it!"_ Well when she put it like that... Makoto looked over to Enoshima, but she wasn't there.

"Huh? Enoshima?" Where'd she go...? His question was answered shortly as he heard the disturbing laugh of Monokuma through the screen. At first Makoto thought he was only there to rant about the police and mess with everyone, but then he got to the meat of the conversation.

 _"If you wanna know, I'll tell ya! It's motive! Puhuhu! It's so simple! I just have to give everyone a motive!"_ Monokuma cried out as if he just had an epiphany. He continued on to explain that there was a video for everyone showing what's going on in the outside world. Did Makoto get one as well...? He would be lying if he said he wasn't eager to see what was going on out there.

After Monokuma explained that the videos were in a specific place in the school, a mysterious looking girl expressed her gratitude at being able to watch them right away. But before she did so... _"What are you? Why would you do something like this? What do you want from us?"_ Makoto listened up, because he realized he didn't really know either. Hopefully Enoshima wouldn't give some sort of non-answer.

 _"What do I want from you...? Well, if you must know..."_ Monokuma began. Makoto sucked in a breath. _"Despair. That's all."_ Despair...? Come to think of it, Makoto remembered Enoshima mention despair quite a few times. She was even elated when Maizono seemed to show despair on her face. Makoto shivered at the thought. Well, if despair was what she wanted, he wouldn't give it to her! _"So I guess I want amusement from you, too,"_ Monokuma closed off. He'd heard that one before...

And with that, Monokuma was gone, and Enoshima burst through the door shortly after. "Eno-" Makoto started, but he was cut off.

"Shut up, shut up! I need to see what'll happen!" Enoshima exclaimed. He didn't really like being cut off like that, but he was kinda curious too. So he shut up.

 _"-useful. He has no intention of standing in the way of our pursuit of the truth. Interesting..."_ the mysterious girl commented. Wait, was that true? Did that apply to Makoto as well? He glanced at Enoshima, but her eyes were glued to the screen. Prompted by Owada, Fujisaki and Maizono were on their way to find the videos. Once found, Maizono left Fujisaki alone in favor for telling the others where the videos were. Fujisaki stood there for a moment, seemingly not knowing what to do, until she took a CD out of the box, slid it into the player, and put earbuds on. Makoto couldn't hear the video, and couldn't see it well from the camera angle, but Fujisaki's reaction was enough to get a good idea of its contents.

Fujisaki gasped in surprise. _"Dad...?"_ A few beats of silence, and Fujisaki looked even more shocked than before. Tears pooled in her eyes as she struggled to make a sound. Was her dad in danger? Makoto felt his heartbeat quicken as the rest of the class appeared. After Fujisaki silently pointed them toward the box, they all went to watch their respective videos. Reactions ranged from confusion to disbelief to anger. But one stood out from the rest.

She was totally calm. _"I see... So this is what he meant by motive. He wants to fuel our desire to leave so that we're more likely to start killing each other."_ Mysterious girl just got more mysterious.

Enoshima giggled again. "They're so close, Naegi-kun! The ball's rolling, I can feel it!"

"No... no one's going to kill each other!" Makoto denied. He said that, but... he couldn't deny that most everyone in the A/V room seemed really tense. They- they were just scared, that was all. Of what they saw in their videos, of what Monokuma said to them... It wasn't anything more than that.

"There's nothing you can say that'll change that fact, Naegi-kun. The despair train is on it's way!" she insisted. Makoto clenched his fists in annoyance, but took a deep breath to try and steady himself. It was no use arguing with Enoshima. All Makoto had to do was remember that she was wrong.

There was something interesting about that box of DVDs. Something that needed to be looked into. She waited until everyone dispersed to investigate. Peering inside the box, she found a single DVD left over. Everyone had taken their respective DVD, so it didn't belong to one of the 14 students. She could be doubly sure of that based on the label. Before she could insert the disc into the player, however, she was interrupted.

"Kirigiri Kyoko-san! Just _what_ do you think you're doing?" Monokuma yelled at her.

She narrowed her eyes. "Investigating. Is there a problem with that?"

"When you're snooping through my very personal belongings, yes. There is a problem!" he said, ripping the DVD out of her hands.

She crossed her arms. "I thought you said you wouldn't get in the way of us uncovering the mystery of the school."

If a robot bear could sweat, he was doing just that. "Yes, well, this has nothing to do with that! So, see ya!" Then he was off.

...Well, that was a little disappointing. Still, Kyoko couldn't say nothing of value came from it. Who could that DVD belong to? She doubted it was the mastermind's, as it was most likely another motive video. So, another student trapped within the school? And someone the mastermind didn't want anyone to know about, judging by the way Monokuma acted. It looked like yet another mystery had presented itself. Who was the hidden 15th student?

Who was Naegi Makoto?


	5. Face the Facts

"What happened?" Makoto asked Enoshima as she walked out from the Monokuma door. Despite the chipper mood from earlier that day, she had left in a huff with no explanation. The TV was focused on Maizono looking rather distraught in her room, so Makoto didn't get to see what Monokuma was up to.

She crossed her arms restlessly. "Kirigiri-san was getting into stuff she shouldn't have been."

"Kirigiri-san...?" He didn't recognize that name. Weird.

"Yeah, you know, the silver haired girl?" When Makoto showed no sign of recognition, Enoshima scowled, walked over to one of the screens on the wall, and pointed at the girl walking in the hall.

The light bulb in his head finally managed to turn on. "Oh...! You mean the mysterious girl!"

Enoshima laughed, but not without some bitterness. "Sure, if that's what you wanna call her."

"So, um... what was she getting into, exactly?" If what Kirigiri said about Enoshima not caring about what was found out was true, then why did she interfere now?

"...I'm done talking about this. There's despair to watch," Enoshima avoided. Dammit.

They both turned their attention to the TV. With a dark look on her face, Maizono was walking through the dining hall, heading towards the kitchen. Two others were there as well, and they asked what Maizono was up to. Without even looking at them, Maizono quietly said she was going to get a drink of water. Makoto nervously glanced towards Enoshima, who was grinning at the screen.

Once at the kitchen, Maizono didn't even go to the sink like Makoto was expecting. She went straight to the knife rack and plucked one off it's shelf. Makoto went pale as Enoshima giggled next to him.

"It's finally happening, Naegi-kun! I can taste the despair on the tip of my tongue!" No... no way...

"I-it's probably just for self-defense," Makoto managed to say. Maizono wouldn't do that. He knew her, and she wouldn't do that! Right...?

Having carefully hid the knife in her sleeve, Maizono walked out of the kitchen and once again passed the two girls without a glance. And as she walked through the hallway to the dorms... she went right passed her own door.

Makoto's throat constricted as his heartbeat sped up. "No way..." Maizono stopped at Fujisaki's room and rang the doorbell. "No way...!" He couldn't find anything else to say. Fujisaki opened the door.

 _"I'm really sorry to come by so late..."_ Maizono said as she stepped inside the dorm. Her voice was small and scared, and her body trembled.

 _"Maizono-san...? What are you doing here?"_ Fujisaki timidly asked. _"I-Is something wrong?"_

 _"Sorry to bother you, but... something really weird just happened,"_ Maizono responded, clutching her arms.

 _"Huh...? What happened?"_ the programmer asked with a surprised look on her face. Maizono went on to explain that someone kept rattling at her door until it just... stopped. She said she didn't see anyone after checking outside. So the knife _was_ self-defense, Makoto thought. She went to go protect herself from the intruder. He... he didn't actually see anyone rattle her door, but Maizono wouldn't lie about that. Makoto tried to force his heartbeat to calm down. Just calm down. Everything was fine.

In his effort to calm his panic, Makoto missed some of the conversation that had been taking place. He made an effort to tune back in. _"Can I... stay in your room tonight?"_ Maizono asked Fujisaki.

 _"You want to stay in my room?"_ Fujisaki asked with wide eyes.

 _"O-oh, well, if you're not comfortable with that, could we maybe switch rooms? Just for tonight?"_ Maizono offered.

 _"A-are you sure that's a good idea?"_ Fujisaki asked back, furrowing her eyebrows in worry.

 _"It's not that I think something's gonna happen... it'd just give me some piece of mind. So... please?"_ Makoto felt bad for Maizono. For her to be so scared of being in her own room...!

 _"I mean... I guess we could switch rooms for tonight..."_ Fujisaki agreed.

Maizono paused, then smiled at her. _"Thank you, Fujisaki-san."_ And right then, the night time announcement went on. Good thing, too. Makoto's nerves had left him exhausted.

However, as he got up from his seat, he felt a tug on his sleeve. "Don't go to sleep. It's not over yet," Enoshima said, excitement filling her eyes. Annnd here comes the nerves again, Makoto thought as he sat back down. He wanted to argue, but he already knew that'd accomplish nothing.

And so Maizono and Fujisaki traded room keys. _"Fujisaki-san... please be careful. If someone comes to the door, don't open it no matter what,"_ Maizono said with a worried look on her face.

 _"I won't,"_ Fujisaki promised. _"And... you probably shouldn't open the door either. You know... just in case,"_ she added.

Maizono smiled. _"Even if I'm sure it's you, I absolutely won't open it. Otherwise, what's the point of even switching?"_

Fujisaki looked down. _"Oh, yeah... good point. Sorry..."_

Maizono giggled. _"You don't have to apologize, silly!"_ At least she seemed to be feeling a bit better... _"Anyway, you should probably get going."_

 _"Oh, right."_ They both bid their farewells, then Fujisaki left the room. And strangely enough, after Maizono slowly set her hidden knife down on a table, she left the room too.

"Huh!? But I thought Maizono-san said she wouldn't open the door!" Makoto said in surprise. To that, Enoshima just giggled.

Once in the hallway, Maizono took the nameplate off Fujisaki's door and walked over to her own, taking that nameplate off as well. She quickly put Fujisaki's nameplate on her own door and vise versa, before heading back into Fujisaki's dorm.

"Huh? Why'd she do that?" Makoto wondered aloud. What was the point of switching rooms if the nameplate was also switched?

After a brief search, Maizono found a notepad and started writing something on it. He couldn't quite see what it said from the angle. After she finished writing, Maizono ripped off the note and headed back out of the dorm. Was she sending a note to someone...?

Makoto's silent question was quickly answered as Maizono went straight to Kuwata's dorm. She slipped the note under his door before quickly heading back to Fujisaki's room. Why did Maizono look so nervous? ...Was it a love confession or something?

Makoto watched Maizono enter the dorm, leaving the door open a crack. He froze as he watched her grab the knife and walk towards the bathroom door, standing back against the wall in wait. No way this was happening. No way. It was just for self defense, Makoto kept repeating to himself over and over. Enoshima was practically vibrating in excitement.

A minute of tense silence had passed before Kuwata slowly pushed the door open. _"Hello...? Anyone there?"_ he awkwardly called out while continuing to walk forward, closing the door behind him. Maizono stayed silent, her grip on the knife tightening. No... no no nononono _no_ -!

Suddenly, Maizono lunged. Kuwata cried out and grabbed the nearest item- which happened to be a book- and blocked the attack. The knife cut through, and Kuwata was forced to drop the book. He backed off towards the bed. Maizono was blocking the exit. _"Y-you don't gotta kill me...! We can talk this out,"_ Kuwata attempted.

The attempt failed. Maizono grimaced before she rushed for him again. "M-Maizono-san...! Maizono-san, you don't have to do this!" Makoto shouted at the TV. He frantically looked to the girl next to him. "Enoshima, y-you have to stop them!"

"Puhuhu... maybe if you beg on your knees~!" she giggled. The two onscreen were practically wrestling each other at that point, Maizono still struggling to get a stab in.

"P-please! Please stop them!" Makoto begged. His heart was racing and he was willing to do just about anything to get them to stop killing each other.

"Hmm... not bad, but nah." Makoto's face dropped. "You really think I'd stop this? This despair is the whole reason any of this is happening! Now shut up for a moment and keep watching. We're reaching the climax!"

He looked towards the screen, fear in his heart. It looked like Maizono had got a slice in, as Kuwata was clutching his arm, his sleeve stained with blood. His face was full of panic as he retreated to the bathroom. Maizono looked disheveled as well. A dark, desperate expression had found it's way on her face.

She aggressively opened the bathroom door, knocking over Kuwata with the force of it. It was hard to see with Maizono standing in the way, but he looked to be backing into the wall. Maizono stepped closer to him, bloody knife in hand. Kuwata could be heard mumbling incoherent pleas.

 _"This is for my idol group,"_ Makoto barely heard Maizono say, right before she struck the final blow. He couldn't see it from the camera angle, but the sound was enough to make him sick to his stomach. Save for the ragged breaths of Maizono, everything went quiet.

"Oh... my... GOD sheactuallydidit! She actually did it, Naegi-kun!" Enoshima squealed with delight as she pulled Makoto into a hug. He must have been in shock, because he was slow to realize what was actually happening.

"G-get off of me!" Makoto shouted, shoving her off. He looked down at his shaking hands, struggling to get full breaths in. He felt dizzy and lightheaded, and held onto a nearby desk to support himself. Kuwata's dead...? Maizono killed him? Yes, there was no denying it. Makoto watched it unfold right before his eyes. Tears started to form. He felt like he was gonna throw up, or pass out, or...

"Isn't this exciting, Naegi-kun? Doesn't it just feel so riveting?" He weakly looked over to Enoshima, who was full of energy. "Isn't this despair just the best?!"

Makoto would have argued with her, that no, it wasn't the best, she was crazy- but he couldn't. Everything was fuzzy, and he couldn't stand or breathe properly. A tear rolled down his face. He tried to get a word out, anything, but his vision swayed.

And everything went black.


	6. Wouldn't That Be Nice

Makoto woke up to Monokuma's morning announcement. Strange, he didn't remember going to sleep. He yawned and stretched in his seat.

"Damn, you pass out a fuck ton. Gotta stop doin' that shit!" Enoshima yelled from across the room.

"I passed out...?" Makoto asked. Oh. _Oh._ Makoto's heart dropped as he recalled the events from last night.

"Yup! You're reactions are priceless, Naegi-chan!" Enoshima said in her cutesy persona. "I'm just a teensy bit surprised Maizono-chan made the first move, ya know? I thought my mole was gonna have to step in to get things rolling, but noope~!"

Makoto clutched his head. "It- it wasn't Maizono-san's fault! You drove her into a corner with that motive video! I'm sure of it!"

Enoshima put her hand up to her face and took on her serious persona. "Wow, Naegi-kun. You're pretty good at shifting the blame. But you're wrong. Maizono-san made her own decision to do what she did. I'm not the one who murdered Kuwata-kun, Maizono-san was." The words cut through Makoto like a sword. It had to be Enoshima's fault...! It had to be!

"She may have been the one to make that decision, but you're the one who motivated her to do so!" Makoto countered, pointing at Enoshima accusingly.

She looked at Makoto's pointer finger unamused, before rolling her eyes. "As much as I love this back and forth, the show isn't over yet. Come watch." Makoto's heart skipped a beat. Right. The others still had to find his body. Makoto ignored the bowl of rice set out for him- he didn't have much of an appetite- and looked at the TV. Most everyone was in the dining hall already. Right before the last person arrived, Togami, people started noticing Kuwata's absence. As Owada questioned Togami about Kuwata's whereabouts, a few people started getting anxious. Makoto's heart ached as he watched Maizono act just as in the dark as the rest of them.

 _"Maybe we should go look for him..."_ Fujisaki suggested. A few others nodded in agreement.

 _"I'll go check if he's in his room!"_ someone shouted. This hurt to watch.

 _"We should split up to cover more ground,"_ Kirigiri said. And so they did. It took a while to find, because they didn't first think to look in the other dorms, but they did eventually get to Fujisaki's room. And when they did...

 _"Wh-what!?"_ Fujisaki cried out. Similar cries of surprise came from a few others. There lay in front of them a disheveled room and a bloodstain near the bed. Fujisaki walked in nervously, while others like Kirigiri and Togami walked in cool and collected. Others still opted to stay behind. And when a portion of the group reached the bathroom, Fujisaki let out a gasp. _"Wh-what? Why...?"_ It sounded like she was about to cry.

Next to Makoto, Enoshima laughed as she pressed a button on a nearby computer. After a short tune, Monokuma appeared on-screen. _"A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin! Also, please head to the gymnasium ASAP!"_

"What was that about?" Makoto demanded.

"The body discovery announcement. I'll play it whenever three or more people find a body for the first time. That way it's fair for everyone involved," Enoshima explained. "I recorded it while you were asleep." For some reason that just made Makoto all the more upset. "Oh, and the gymnasium thing is just this once. So I can explain what's going on and stuff."

Makoto looked back to the TV. A variety of expressions lay on people's faces. _"Do we really have to go...?"_ Fujisaki asked, still staring at Kuwata's body.

 _"It's best not to defy Monokuma without reason,"_ Kyoko asserted, followed by a few mutters of agreements. The group started leaving the dorm area and headed towards the gym. Enoshima got up as well.

"Anyways, see ya. You might wanna watch, too, so you know what's going on," she said nonchalantly as she walked to the Monokuma door. Before Makoto could get a word of protest in, she was gone. Dammit!

Once everyone got to the gym, Fujisaki spoke up. _"D-do you think maybe Monokuma killed Kuwata-kun?"_ she asked the group. Just then, Monokuma popped up.

 _"I would never do that! If you can believe anything, you can believe that!"_ he yelled out. He went on to explain he would never "interfere" unless someone breaks the rules. Makoto angrily rolled his eyes.

 _"Then... who did it? Who killed him?"_ Fujisaki asked with tears in her eyes.

 _"You already know the answer! The one who killed him is..."_ he paused for dramatic effect, _"...one of you!"_ Makoto's gut wrenched as Monokuma said that. He knew that, of course. He saw it with his own eyes. But he'd like nothing more than to be able to deny that fact. After Monokuma rambled about who knows what, and people tried to deny what Makoto wished he could, Togami asked if the killer could now graduate. Monokuma burst into laughter. Makoto found he hated it more by the second.

 _"Why are you laughing?"_ Maizono asked with a worried look on her face. Monokuma continued to call them all naive for ever thinking the killer could just leave. He went on to explain the so called "class trial," and the "punishment" that will follow. And after apparently adding a new rule to their student handbooks, a certain someone spoke up.

 _"W-wait, hold on a second! You're freaking insane, you know that!?"_ Mukuro let out. Monokuma only looked at her quizzically. _"A class trial? What the hell is that!? I don't want anything to do with it!"_ she declared. Wait, wasn't Mukuro on Enoshima's side? Why was she blatantly defying Monokuma? Maybe there really was good in her.

 _"Why not?"_ Monokuma asked simply.

 _"Whaddya mean why not!?"_ Mukuro angrily asked. Either she was really good at acting or she really was angry at Monokuma...! _"Why do I have to waste my time trying to figure out who murdered someone!?"_

_"What!? Are you saying you're not gonna participate in the trial!? Only punishment awaits such blasphemy!"_ He couldn't be serious, right?

 _"What? Punishment!?"_ Was she actually scared or was she just acting? Makoto really couldn't tell.

 _"I might... I dunno, throw you in a deep, dark, scary, prison or something!"_ That didn't seem too far off from where Makoto was. Metaphorically speaking...

 _"Shut the hell up! Say whatever you want, I'm not gonna be part of this!"_ Mukuro yelled.

 _"Don't be so selfish!"_ Monokuma yelled back. They really were fighting like sisters...

 _"You're the one being selfish! Kill whoever you want, it's got nothing to do with me!"_ She said that, but she didn't really mean it, right?

 _"The evil standing here before me... I'm trembling with fear...! But I won't give in to such evil! It's my style to stick it out and resist till the very end...! If you really wanna get out of here..."_ Monokuma said, unsheathing his claws, _"...you'll have to go through me first!"_ He then charged towards the group. The way he walked kind of reminded Makoto of a waddling penguin...

Without a second thought, Mukuro kicked Monokuma and held him down with her foot. Was this okay...? _"Are you enjoying yourself now?"_ she asked. Monokuma asked her the same thing right back. _"Huh?"_ What was going on?

 _"Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is not allowed. You've violated a school regulation..."_ Monokuma said. Wait... _"I invoke the mighty summon spell! Help! To me, godly spear Gungnir!"_ Wait, no-

"Mukuro-san!" Makoto heard himself cry out as he stood up to try and stop Enoshima. But it was too late. Mukuro was impaled with numerous spears, a gruesome sight. Makoto stood frozen in place, unable to find any more words.

 _"H-Huh? This wasn't... supposed to..."_ she struggled to get out. _"Why...me...? N-"_ she started, but before she could finish her thought, she fell to the ground. Various people were expressing their shock, but Makoto couldn't hear the words. All he heard was the static inside his head, and his thoughts as they repeated over and over. Enoshima killed her own sister. Enoshima- she- Mukuro...! She's...

Then Monokuma's voice. Monokuma, he- he killed her! Makoto could feel the red hot anger burning inside of him as Monokuma's voice continued on and on. "God- god DAMMIT!" Makoto yelled to himself. He didn't know how long it was before Enoshima came out of the Monokuma door. Her face was all red and... was she drooling?

"Ahhh, Naegi-kun! Did you see that? Did you see what I did!?" The tone of her voice made Makoto uncomfortable.

"Y-you monster!! You killed your own sister! How could you!?" He lashed out.

"How could I...? I just called on a few spears, is all!" she said as she prowled over to Makoto.

He took a step back. "Why? Why the hell did she have to die!?" Mukuro may have been on "Enoshima's side," but Makoto believed she had to have some good in her! Why else would she try to protect him?

"She broke the rules," Enoshima said bluntly, as she sauntered closer. "But you know... if you wanna know the real reason I killed her..." Enoshima continued, "...it's because of all this delicious despair I'm getting!" Her eyes seemed to swirl as she laughed.

Makoto took another step back. "You're- you're crazy!"

She giggled as she took another step forward. "Whether I'm crazy or not doesn't matter. Because you know... seeing despair on _your_ face is pretty fun too!" Her eyes widened as her twisted smile grew. "Who knows! I might just decide to kill you just like I killed my dear sister!" Enoshima's hand twitched, like she was itching to do just that.

Makoto's anger was quickly replaced with fear. He needed to think on his feet-! "Hey, w-wait! Didn't you want to keep me around f-for entertainment? So you don't get bored?" Makoto desperately tried to reason with her. Enoshima paused.

"...Yeah, I guess you're right," she said, her crazed tone of voice receding. Makoto let out a sigh of relief. He'd narrowly avoided that one.

As Enoshima quickly settled down, Makoto's mind was brought back to Mukuro. He felt a twinge of anger and sadness in his heart at the thought. He... he had to do something. He couldn't just stand by and watch people die anymore. He had to find a way... He had to find a way to help his classmates!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if only mukuro didn't die. wouldn't that be nice?
> 
> but sadly, that can't be the case. sorry to everyone who wanted her to live!


	7. Throw Away That Shame

Fujisaki Chihiro was in a state of shock. Not only had Enoshima been killed right in front of them, but everyone was suspicious of him as well. Seeing as Kuwata was killed in his own dorm... How did that even happen? Chihiro felt tears flow down his face as he stared at Enoshima's lifeless body.

He heard footsteps from the side, and turned to see who it was. Oh, Kirigiri. "You're going to investigate, right?" she asked.

Chihiro looked back at Enoshima with watery eyes. "But... I can't leave Enoshima-san here. I-I feel sorry for her..." he said. "I... I have to stay with her."

Kirigiri moved a strand of hair out of her face. "I understand how you feel, but you're a suspect right now. You should work on clearing your name."

"D-do you think I'm the one who killed him too?" Chihiro asked.

"I think it's too early to decide that," she replied.

Chihiro thought for a moment before nodding his head. "Then... I guess I should go investigate," he decided. Kirigiri gave a small nod in response. He took one last glance at Enoshima before following Kirigiri out of the gym.

After Chihiro seemed about done investigating, Monokuma made an announcement telling them that the class trial was about to start. Chihiro took a deep breath to calm his nerves, and quietly made his way to the red door Monokuma mentioned. Once everyone had arrived, Monokuma made another announcement to board the elevator. But right before he started walking in, Chihiro heard a voice next to him.

"Are you scared?" Kirigiri asked.

Chihiro looked down. "I mean, I mostly feel bad. Kuwata-kun was killed in my room. D-does that mean it's my fault...?"

"You shouldn't blame yourself. What we need to focus on right now is unmasking the killer," she replied.

"Oh, right. Sorry..." he apologized.

"There's no need for that," she said. "...Let's get started." Chihiro nodded and followed Kirigiri onto the elevator.

"Okay, but what about those other empty seats?" Celes asked Monokuma shortly after the trial started. "There were only fourteen of us to begin with, so why are there sixteen seats?"

"Oh, no reason. It's just that our little courtroom here can technically fit up to sixteen people," Monokuma answered. Kyoko narrowed her eyes. She already knew of Naegi Makoto's existence. Was it possible there was a sixteenth student as well? She didn't have any evidence for that yet, but she made a mental note to keep it in mind. Besides, now wasn't the time for that. Now was the time to expose Kuwata Leon's killer.

"So the killer used some random knife they had on 'em..." Owada began.

"E-excuse me! I do think it was a knife that killed him, but I don't think it was just a random one. It seems most likely that it was a kitchen knife," Chihiro interrupted.

"Huh? A kitchen knife...?" Owada asked.

"I mean, one of the knives from the kitchen set was missing," Chihiro explained.

Ogami followed his logic. "Which means that knife must be the murder weapon," she said.

Owada scratched at the back of his head. "Ohh... yeah, I guess that makes sense. You could sorta see the weapon stickin' out of his stomach... And if you look real close, I could totally see that being a kitchen knife.

"I don't see how the murder weapon being a kitchen knife gets us anywhere..." Maizono said quietly. "And I hate to say this, but wasn't he killed in Fujisaki-san's room?" Chihiro sucked in a breath as tears started forming in his eyes.

"That's r-right... Fujisaki must be the killer. What more proof do you n-need?" Fukawa agreed.

"I-I would never kill someone!" Chihiro denied.

Kirigiri spoke up before anyone else could. "Let's draw our conclusions _after_ we've presented our arguments. Otherwise, what's the point of the trial?"

"I just don't really see how it could be anyone else..." Maizono said. Chihiro didn't know what to do. He knew Maizono was suspicious, but at the same time... he couldn't just throw her under the bus. That'd be the same as killing her...!

"I'm sure if we keep at it, something new will reveal itself," Kirigiri asserted. At least her calm tone helped to soothe his nerves.

Hagakure brought his hand up to his mouth. "You really believe that...?" he asked in disbelief. Kirigiri stayed silent.

"So I guess we've established that the kitchen knife is the murder weapon, but I'm not sure how that helps us," Maizono said.

"F-Fujisaki must have taken it f-from the kitchen, right? She did it in s-secret, when nobody was in the d-dining hall..." Fukawa theorized.

"Wait, but... I didn't take the knife...!" Fujisaki cried out.

"Next you're gonna say you're not the k-killer, right? Go ahead and say it all y-you want...!" Fukawa said, biting her fingernails.

"But... Asahina-san, you were in the dining hall last night, right? Then... you can say for sure I wasn't there to take the knife," Chihiro pointed out.

"Oh... y-yeah, you're right! You definitely weren't there!" Asahina confirmed.

Fukawa still hadn't given up. "Okay, th-then what about this...? What if the i-idiot swimmer girl and F-Fujisaki are in on it together, a-and lying to protect each other?" she offered.

"Idiot swimmer girl!?" Asahina cried out. "Oh, and more importantly, why would I get involved in something like that!?"

As the discussion changed to the topic of accomplices, Monokuma accidentally let it slip that there weren't any in this case. Chihiro guessed that was good for proving Asahina was telling the truth...

"Anyway, I wasn't the one who took the knife, and Asahina-san wouldn't lie about that because there aren't any accomplices. So like I said, there's no way I'm the killer...!" he tried to prove to the group. "So then... who _did_ take the knife?"

After Celes offered Asahina up as the most likely candidate, Ogami stepped up to say she was with Asahina the whole time. Also, they said Ogami had stayed in Asahina's room the whole night. So that meant both Asahina and Ogami were innocent...!

After Chihiro explained to Fukawa the rules about sleeping in the dorms, a thought came to his head. Maizono... She and Chihiro had switched rooms for the night. And then Kuwata ended up dead in Chihiro's room... He looked over to Maizono. She was looking around nervously at everyone. He was afraid to speak up about it, but...

Right as Chihiro was about to say something, Asahina beat him to it. "Maizono Sayaka-chan. You're the one who came to the dining hall...!" So Maizono really was the one who took the knife...?

"I just went to get a drink of water. You didn't see me holding the knife or anything, did you?" Maizono asked.

"Well, no, but..." Asahina said.

"Just because you didn't directly see it doesn't mean it didn't happen, wouldn't you say?" Kirigiri butted in. "Tell me, did you see anyone else go into the dining hall?"

"Maizono was our only visitor," Ogami confirmed.

"Then Maizono-san taking the knife is the only possibility," she declared.

Maizono stiffened. "Are you saying I'm the killer? But I couldn't have gotten into Fujisaki-san's room because the dorms have locks. And even if I could've, Fujisaki-san would have been right there with me. There's just no way I could kill Kuwata-kun like that!" Chihiro knew that was wrong, but...!

"You bring up a good point. How was Maizono-san able to get into Fujisaki-san's room without the latter's being there?" Kirigiri said. What was he supposed to do...? Just then, Kirigiri looked directly at Chihiro. It was an intense stare, but at the same time, somehow calming. She gave a silent nod.

Chihiro felt tears pool up in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. "Umm... w-well, Maizono-san and I switched rooms last night b-because she was scared..." Various people expressed their shock, Maizono included.

"Fujisaki-san...? Why? Why are you lying about this?" she questioned.

Before Chihiro could tearfully protest, Kirigiri stepped in again. "I don't think she's lying. In fact, there's clear evidence to support you were in her room."

"Huh? Evidence?" Maizono asked, putting a hand up to her mouth.

Kirigiri nodded. "On the floor of Fujisaki-san's room, there are pieces of long, dark blue hair. Hair of which matches Maizono-san's perfectly," she added with a small smile.

Maizono looked around nervously. "W-well, Fujisaki-san and I were close. Of course I've been in her dorm room before. But that doesn't mean I was there last night..."

Kirigiri closed her eyes. "You're right, it doesn't. But there's still one more piece of evidence that proves you were there." She opened her eyes, and took a sheet of paper out of her coat pocket. It looked like it had been scribbled on. Kirigiri cleared her throat before reading. "There's something I want to talk to you about, just us two. In five minutes, come see me in my room. Check the nameplates to make sure you don't get the wrong room, okay?" she read. "I found a notepad in Fujisaki-san's room during my search, and I shaded in the top sheet with a pencil. And these are the words that appeared," she explained. "The note also bears a perfectly legible signature- Maizono-san's signature."

Maizono seemed to finally have panic in her eyes. "Th-that was-!"

Before she could finish her thought, Celes spoke up. "But are we sure that this note is even connected to this case?"

"Huh? What makes you say that?" Chihiro asked.

"Maizono-san and Fujisaki-san switched rooms, correct? But in the note, the place they were asked to come to... It specifically says 'my' room," Celes pointed out.

"I see... So if someone read that note..." Chihiro started, "...then they would have gone to Maizono-san's room! Oh, but... I didn't hear anyone come to the door."

"Maybe that's because they didn't go to Maizono-san's room at all," Kirigiri suggested. "Doesn't the wording of this letter seem odd to you?"

"What do you mean, odd?" Maizono asked.

"I mean the note specifically tells the reader to check the nameplate. Why else would it say that other than because the nameplates were tampered with?"

Celes brought her hand up to her mouth. "Are you saying that along with the rooms being switched, the nameplates were switched as well?"

Kirigiri crossed her arms and smiled. "Precisely. That way, the receiver of the note would go to Fujisaki-san's room, where Maizono-san was staying in."

Maizono spoke up, her tone of voice on the edge of panic. "W-wait, hold on! I never switched rooms with Fujisaki-san!"

"Then how do you explain the note you wrote?" Kirigiri countered.

"Th-that-! Fujisaki-san must have wrote it!" she cried out, desperation in her eyes.

"If that's the case, then I'm sure you would have no problem showing us your handwriting," Kirigiri said confidently. Maizono sputtered meaningless noise before breaking down into tears. She had run out of arguments.

In the middle of going over the whole case one last time, Asahina spoke out. "Oh! I have a question! Okay, so, umm... Well, I was just wondering, how come Kuwata didn't just lock the bathroom door? That way, Maizono-chan wouldn't be able to get in and make the final blow," she wondered aloud. Chihiro froze.

"That's easy," Kirigiri said, looking to the side. "The bathroom door didn't have a lock."

"But the girl's bathrooms all have locks..." Celes said, flipping her hair. Chihiro could feel his chest tighten.

"You're right. So why might you think this one didn't?" Kirigiri asked. They were gonna find out... they were gonna know-! Chihiro's breathing quickened as he tried to keep a calm mind. If- if they were gonna find out anyway, then shouldn't the truth come from himself? Maybe this was his opportunity to follow his dream and get stronger...!

Although still nervous, Chihiro nodded his head in determination. "Th-that's because... it's not a girl's bathroom. It's a boy's bathroom!" He felt a wave of dizziness as he said that. The courtroom was silent for a moment before cries of surprise rang out.

"Wait, then that means...!" Owada said. Chihiro nodded solemnly before Monokuma interrupted.

"We're getting off topic here! You're trying to pin the tail on the blackened, remember!? Now get back to it!" he angrily demanded. The summary continued as Maizono clutched her arms, a crazed look plastered on her tear-stained face.

The votes were in, and Maizono Sayaka was chosen as the blackened. "Maizono-san... why'd you do it?" Chihiro asked with tears in his eyes.

"I-I didn't have a choice... I had to... I had to find out if my idol group was okay! I had to see them!!" she shouted, nearly hyperventilating. "And I would've been able to, if it weren't for all of you. I need to see if my friends are okay! H-How could you!?"

Tears fell down Chihiro's face. "Y-you were even ready to betray all of us?"

Maizono looked down, her eyes staring intently at nothing. "Of course I didn't want to... but it had to be done. I-I...!"

Monokuma interrupted whatever she was going to say. "Now then! Since you so magnificently revealed the identity of the killer during the class trial... the blackened, Maizono Sayaka-san, will receive her punishment!" No one had any words. Maizono stood there, frozen in place. Monokuma had announced the punishment, and so the punishment began.

Maizono was placed in a caged area within a crowd of Monokumas, cheering for what was on stage in front of them. Four girls danced and sang an upbeat song in the spotlight, what Kyoko assumed must have been one of Maizono's songs. Maizono looked up on stage, and frantically pushed past the crowd of Monokumas. But as she got closer, it became clear to Kyoko that these girls were not her idol group as Maizono had originally imagined. They were puppets, held up by metal wires with an unknown puppeteer backstage.

Maizono seemed to still not have noticed this fact, as she rushed up to climb on stage. And when she made it up... wires came down from above and wrapped around Maizono's joints. They forced her to dance along with the other puppets, cutting into her skin. It was a gruesome sight. The pop song eventually ended, and Maizono lay limp against the wires that were keeping her up. Blood steadily dripped through her cuts and onto the stage. Maizono Sayaka was dead.

After Monokuma expressed his excitement, various other students expressed their dismay. Monokuma and the others continued their back and forth, and Kyoko didn't think much of it until Monokuma said something rather peculiar. "Hmmm... You're trapped, are you? Well, I'm sure once you learn all the mysteries of this school, your thinking will change for sure. You'll think, 'Boy, isn't it so wonderful how we all get to live here forever!?'"

"What are you trying to say...?" Ishimaru asked.

Kyoko took a steadying breath. "I feel like there's some deeper meaning hidden in there... Just like before..." She thought back to something Monokuma had said. "When you say 'everyone' ...who exactly are you referring to?"

"Sorry, I've said everything I've got to say! I need to save some of the fun for later!" he laughed. And just like that, he was gone.

Kyoko left some time for herself and everyone else to gather their composure until she spoke. "Fujisaki-kun. Can I talk to you for a second?" She leaned in close and whispered into his ear. "Before we head back... there's something I want to talk to you about." Fujisaki said nothing, so Kyoko continued. "I know it must have been hard to out Maizono-san like that... but you did the right thing. Maizono-san's reason for killing Kuwata-kun might have been noble to her, but there would have been more casualties had we not solved this case." A tear slid down Fujisaki's face. "Just... try not to blame yourself. It's not your fault we're in this situation."

"I understand..." Fujisaki mumbled.

"And... I don't know your reason for hiding that you're male..." Kyoko said, "...but I want you to know that you're not alone." It wasn't often that Kyoko would comfort people like this, but she suspected that Fujisaki needed it.

He looked up at her with surprise written on his face, which slowly turned into a weak smile. "...Thank you, Kirigiri-san."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if the trial was a little repetitive, but i felt like it was good to show how exactly they solved the case when the clues were a little different than in canon.
> 
> also, i know there's a canon unused execution for sayaka, but i wanted to mix it up and use my own! hope you liked it!


	8. I'll Make It up to You

Makoto couldn't believe his eyes. Maizono Sayaka had been brutally executed live on TV, and he could do nothing but watch in horror. At the beginning of this nightmare, he thought there was no way there would actually be any murders. And yet, three people were already dead. First Kuwata, then Mukuro, and now Maizono. Tears threatened to spill over as Makoto tried to focus on staying conscious. Deep breaths... just- just take deep breaths...!

He didn't know how long he stood there frozen in place until Enoshima came back out of the Monokuma door. Makoto found he hated the sight of her. "Did you see all that, Naegi-kun? Ahh, it was wonderful, wasn't it? It was wonderfully despair-inducing, wasn't it!?" She fanned herself with her hand.

Makoto gritted his teeth and somehow found energy within him to respond. "Th-there was nothing wonderful about it...! You killed her, just like you killed Mukuro-san! Th-this is all your fault!"

Enoshima sighed. "Haven't we been over this, Naegi-kun? It's really not my fault. They knew the rules, so they got what was coming to them," she said nonchalantly. "And now that I think about it..." she continued, tapping her finger on her chin, "...you're partially to blame, as well."

Makoto's chest tightened. "What are you talking about...?"

Enoshima smiled a wide, toothy grin. "Just think about it. I gave you plenty of opportunities to stop their deaths, and you took none of them. I mean come on! It's like you don't even care about them at all...!"

Makoto's eyes widened. "You're lying..." he breathed out, hoping to convince himself of his accusation. Could... could he really have prevented their deaths? There's no way, right? But...

Enoshima sauntered closer. "Why would I lie to you?" she said quietly into his ear. Makoto looked down at his trembling hands. Enoshima gave him opportunities to save them? He didn't remember any opportunities come up... But, the Monokuma door-! It was true that Makoto never tried to open it while she was in there. Was that what Enoshima was talking about?

He looked back up at Enoshima, who was wearing a sadistic smile. "I-I didn't know...! You can't blame me for not knowing!" he argued.

Her smile drooped as she stared down at him. "You're really desperate to escape responsibility, aren't you?" She shrugged. "Well, I don't blame you. Being the reason for someone's death is a hard burden to... _bear_ , isn't it?" She laughed Monokuma's signature laugh. Makoto flinched as if he was struck with a blow. He was the reason for people's deaths...? N-no, that was wrong. Enoshima was the one who killed Mukuro and Maizono, he knew that. But if he really _was_ able to prevent those deaths... then Enoshima was right. Makoto did need to take responsibility. He wasn't gonna let anyone else die under his watch!

The night time announcement went on, bringing Makoto's attention to the security footage. It looked like everyone was gathered in the dining hall. His stomach lurched with guilt as he saw everyone's sullen faces. Makoto looked away, and Fujisaki's dorm caught his attention. Surprise sparked in his chest until he remembered what Monokuma had said about having cleaned up the corpses before everyone boarded the elevator. He looked to the monitor showing the gym, and sure enough, it was spotless. When did that happen...? He guessed it could have happened during the trial, since he was rather focused on what everyone was saying. But wasn't Enoshima controlling Monokuma during the trial? He suspected solving this little mystery would help Makoto in his self-appointed duty to help his classmates.

"Okay, well, you can stare at those screens for however long you want, but I got stuff to do. So, see ya," Enoshima said suddenly, and left through the Monokuma door. Makoto blinked. Oh, right. It was night time... As he processed that, he realized just how tired he was. Makoto sunk into a nearby chair and rested his head on the desk, using his arms as cushions. He felt a little bad sleeping when he might've been able to do something more productive, but he was utterly exhausted. He fell asleep thinking up ways he might be able to help the others.

Waking up to the morning announcement was as annoying as ever. And if that wasn't enough, Monokuma was actually in the room making the announcement instead of it being on the TV. Oh, that's right, Enoshima can make live announcements too, Makoto thought as he remembered the announcement broadcasted live that told everyone where to go for the trial. Of course, it was even more important for him to shut up during these ones, since Enoshima couldn't edit them out or record a new take. Monokuma mentioned something about meeting in the gym as Makoto thought. Wait, maybe this was his opportunity to help the others...! But what would he say? Like Kirigiri once said, it was best not to defy their captor without reason. If he started speaking up without a plan, who knows what would happen.

So, the announcement ended up passing by, leaving Makoto feeling slightly dejected. This must have been what Enoshima was talking about when she said he missed opportunities. He sunk lower in his seat. Makoto still did the right thing... probably...

At first he thought Monokuma was only at the gym to get them to excercise, but then he revealed that they had more areas to explore now that the trial was over. Knowing Enoshima, that probably only meant bad news, but Makoto couldn't help but hope something good would come of it.

On his side of the screen, the search consisted of Enoshima popping in and out of the control room. She came out after announcing the new areas to watch the TV, then went back in to explain the locker rooms, then went back out to watch again. While the two watched a group investigate the library, Makoto reached for his daily rice bowl. "Oh, it's dry," he observed out loud.

Enoshima put on her cutesy persona. "Yup! You didn't bother eating yesterday's, so I thought, why bother making more if he wasn't gonna eat it anyway, y'know?" she explained. She switched her style to make 'rock on' hands. "You need to learn to be more fuckin' grateful, you piece of shit!"

Makoto wanted to argue with her, but he wasn't about to cut off his only food supply. "Sorry..." he mumbled, before munching on the dry rice. It obviously wasn't very good, but what other choice did he have?

The investigation eventually ended and everyone met up at the dining hall to discuss what they found. Once it was apparent there wasn't a way out, however, things got a bit tense. Conversation eventually ground to a halt. Enoshima seemed to be enjoying it.

"Isn't it great to see people's hopes get shattered?" she asked excitedly. Don't say anything, Makoto told himself. Don't say anything... "That's why those deaths were so despairful! Ahh... those looks on their faces right before they died!"

Makoto failed to not say anything. "Don't talk about them like that!" he shouted. Enoshima just stared at him, and only Makoto's shaky breath disturbed the silence. Then the night time announcement played.

Enoshima stood up promptly and stretched. "Well anyway, I'm off." She started towards the Monokuma door.

"Wait!" Makoto interjected. She stopped. "...I need to use the bathroom."

Enoshima sharply turned around and put her hands on her hips. "Ugh, you should've said that before! I got stuff to do!" she complained, exaggerating her movements. "Fine then, follow me."

Makoto nodded and followed her into the control room, down the hatch, and through the shelves of food until they got to the bathroom. He found he needed to use walls or furniture to support him as he walked, as he was dizzy and light-headed.

"Hurry up, I don't have all night," Enoshima said as she watched Makoto make his way into the bathroom.

"I heard you the first time..." he replied, closing the door. He then used the bathroom and washed his hands, but as he drank from the sink, he heard a noise from outside. It sounded like a door closing. Makoto took a few more gulps of water before heading out to investigate. "Huh?" That was weird. Enoshima was no where in sight. He knitted his eyebrows and headed back the way he came. Maybe she went back to the main room?

But when Makoto climbed up the hatch and opened the Monokuma door, Enoshima wasn't there either. His heart skipped a beat. She wasn't here...? Did that mean...? Makoto looked back to the control room. Did that mean he could reach the others? But what if she found out-! No, he had to do something. He had to take responsibility for Kuwata's death, for Maizono's death, for... for Mukuro's death. She was the one who took risks just to keep Makoto safe. It was only fair he'd do the same.

Keeping the deaths of his classmates close to his heart, Makoto stepped into the control room.

Kyoko was resting in her dorm thinking about the letter found in the library when Monokuma appeared. She got up out of bed. "What do you want?"

"Umm... c-can you hear me?" he said. Strange. This tone of voice seemed rather different from his normal way of speaking.

"Of course I can. Now get to the point. Why are you here?" she demanded.

"W-well I'm not supposed to be here, so I probably don't have much time, but I'm not the one who usually controls Monokuma," he said.

"What?" This was a surprise. Either Monokuma was trying to mess with her, or this really was someone else. "Are you Naegi Makoto?" she asked.

"Huh!? How'd you know my name?" Monokuma, or perhaps more accurately, Naegi asked with surprise. It was really just a stab in the dark, but she thought she'd ask anyway.

"That's not important. Anyway, you still haven't answered my question. Why are you here?" She stared at the Monokuma intently.

"Oh, uh... I came to try and take responsibility for... for not being able to save the ones who've died. I know it isn't worth the same as human life, but I have some info you probably wouldn't be able to get otherwise," the one presumed to be Naegi said. It was sort of strange seeing Monokuma talk without emoting. Perhaps Naegi didn't know how to control it?

"Well then, you might as well say it if you truly don't have much time like you said." Kyoko pushed. It definitely seemed like this person was on her side, but she couldn't be too sure.

"Yeah, true. Okay, so... I remember mention of a mole, and I don't know exactly who it is, but it sounded like they're gonna kill someone if no one else does," he said.

Kyoko put a finger to her chin in thought. "I see. If the killing game grinds to a halt, the mole is there to keep things going." She crossed her arms. "Where are you? Where did you get this information?"

"I'm... not actually sure where I am. There's no windows, and I'm confined to about three rooms. Most of the time I'm in a room with a bunch of security footage of Hope's Peak, or... where ever you guys are."

Kyoko flipped her hair. "I have another question for you. You're the 15th student, right? Do you know of a 16th student?"

"16th student...?" There was a pause before Naegi answered. "I guess if you count the mastermind..." Kyoko did a mental double take.

"You know who the mastermind is?" she asked with intensity.

"Oh, uh, yeah. We're kinda like roommates, if one roommate was crazy and kept trying to kill the other."

She wasted no time. "Who are they?"

"Oh, right, umm..." Kyoko could hear Naegi take a deep breath. "Her name is-" The words suddenly stopped, like they were forcefully cut off. "...Juuuust kidding! You really thought I'd tell you who I was, huh?" The Monokuma put it's arms on it's stomach and laughed. Looks like he was back to emoting.

She crossed her arms and stared directly at him. "So what if I did?"

"Are you saying you really believed all that? You're more gullible than I thought!" he mocked.

"Why did you say any of that in the first place, then?" she questioned.

Monokuma waved her off. "I was just messing with you! Can't I have a little fun? I get pretty bored, y'know!"

Kyoko turned back to her bed. "I see. Well if that's all, you can leave now."

"You got it, Miss Mysterious!" Then he was gone. Kyoko laid in her bed. Well, that was eventful. Of course, the sudden switch in tone was incredibly suspicious. She doubted that was just Monokuma messing with her, but it was best if he thought he'd won her over. Sure, there was a possibility that that was all it was, but the chances were rather low.

Kyoko suspected she wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight. Assuming that was indeed Naegi Makoto at the beginning and he was indeed telling the truth, she had plenty to think about.


	9. This Life is Rough

Makoto was in big trouble. That much was obvious. Right as he was about to reveal the mastermind's identity, his mouth was covered from behind. Before he knew it, he was thrown out of the control room. Well, at least Makoto could say he actually did something worth while. But now wasn't the time to think about that. Now was the time to focus on getting past Enoshima's wrath.

He didn't actually know what she'd do, but Makoto was fairly sure she'd be pissed. She had mentioned before that they were a secret, after all, and he had revealed secrets left and right. Makoto leaned his weight onto a nearby desk. What was he supposed to do? Convince her that it wasn't a big deal? That probably wouldn't work... Makoto's heart pounded as he frantically tried to come up with ways to survive this situation.

He didn't have much time to think. A moment later, Enoshima silently opened the door and walked out. She had a dark look on her face. Makoto would be lying if he said he wasn't terrified. "I, um-"

Enoshima cut him off. "You're more ballsy than I thought," she said, walking over to the TV. "That's a problem." She crouched down and opened the cabinet. "And a problem I intend to correct," she said, taking something out of the cabinet. Makoto could practically feel the blood thirst radiating off of her. As Enoshima stood back up, he caught a glimpse of the box cutter he'd found a couple days ago. Oh, hell no.

"W-we can talk this out-!" Makoto tried, not knowing what else to say. In a flash, Enoshima made her way across the room and grabbed his arm. Hard. The box cutter's blade was out and dangerously close to Makoto's neck. His whole body stiffened.

"Do you really think a painfully average kid like you can actually do some damage to an Ultimate like me?" she asked directly into his ear. "Think you've done something important? Think you've saved the day?"

He stared at the box cutter fearfully. "It- it must have been important if you're g-getting so upset about it..." Makoto looked back to Enoshima, and her face said it all. Big mistake. Why did he say that.

Suddenly he was roughly pushed, and his side painfully collided with a desk on the way down. He must have also gotten nicked by the boxcutter because his shoulder stung. Makoto clutched at his side as he struggled to get back up. "You're worthless," Enoshima spat at him. "I bet no one even cares that you went missing."

"Th-that's not true-" he managed to get out, only to be kicked down again. He cried out in pain. Maybe he should stop talking back to her, he thought bitterly.

"Ugh, shut up! I hate you!" Enoshima yelled. Makoto shakily pushed himself up off the ground as she continued. "You always try to make everything all good and happy! You know how uncool that is?" He grabbed onto the edge of a desk to help him up. "It's like, super uncool. Like, mega uncool." He finally got himself all the way up and started backing away, keeping an eye on Enoshima as he grit his teeth. "You could be like, the Ultimate Uncool Guy." Makoto stole a glance at the door across the room. He never _actually_ tried opening it. Maybe Enoshima was lying about it needing a key? That door was really his best option right now, and the only thing he could do was make a run for it.

So he did. One problem, though. As soon as he took a step, Makoto slipped on the dust cloth he'd left on the floor. He fell face first, a sharp pain entering his nose, his shoe flying into the air. After regaining his senses, he looked back to see that his shoe had hit Enoshima directly in the face. She looked as surprised as Makoto felt. Wait... where did the box cutter she was holding go? He looked around and- oh. It had been thrown, and was now stuck in the wall in front of him. If Makoto hadn't tripped, he would've been a goner...!

"I can't predict you at all. You're so annoying...!" Enoshima told him. He braced himself. "...but maybe it's more exiting that way." Huh...?

"Y-you're... gonna let me live...?" he asked tentatively as he slowly sat up. Blood dripped from his nose and ran down his arm.

She giggled. "Yeah, sure, I'll keep you around. For now, anyway," she said, a smile spreading on her face. "As much as I want you gone, an ordinary kid like you putting a wrench in my despairful plans is pretty despairful in itself, after all!" Enoshima giggled again before leaving through the Monokuma door seemingly without a care in the world. Makoto didn't understand her at all, but he was glad it was over. He let out a sigh of relief. He made it...! Though, not without some injuries of course. He climbed up onto a nearby chair and checked them out.

Well, the most obvious ones were the spots he was bleeding. Blood ran down his stinging nose and steadily dripped off his face from his trip. Oh, speaking of which, he still didn't have his other shoe. ...He'd get that later. Makoto was also bleeding from his shoulder from getting nicked with the box cutter while he was pushed. The cut wasn't very deep, but it stung quite a bit. He glanced at the box cutter still stuck in the wall. He knew it was bad news...! He probably should have hid it or something when he first found it. ...He'd do that later. Makoto went back to inspecting his injuries.

His side was bruised from hitting the desk and the extra kick, and it hurt to move too much. Hopefully nothing was broken... His forearm was also bruised a little from Enoshima's vice grip, he observed as he shakily poked at it. Makoto gritted his teeth as he rolled the chair over to the dust cloth and bent down to grab it. He figured it could help stop the bleeding. But first, he took his arm out of it's sleeve and tied the sleeve around his bleeding shoulder. It was a little difficult with one hand, but he managed. Next Makoto used the dust cloth to wipe the blood off his face and held it up to his nose. That should be good enough for now, he thought as he painfully laid his head on the desk. Now he needed to rest. The pain and adrenaline made it difficult to relax, but they eventually numbed enough for Makoto drift off to sleep.

Makoto woke to another live morning announcement. And also pain. Not that the two were much different... He silently watched Monokuma mention something about e-Handbooks and new regulations as he mindlessly poked at his injuries.

Enoshima came out shortly after to watch the footage, beckoning Makoto to sit by her. "Oh, uh, I can see fine from here," he said.

She put on an amused look on her face. "What, are you scared of me?" He couldn't tell if she was teasing him or was genuinely curious.

"N-no, it's just that I don't want to move around too much if I can help it..." he explained, motioning to his side with his uninjured arm. It was also because he was scared of her.

Enoshima rolled her eyes before bringing out her rock star persona. "God, you're such a fuckin' baby. Just get your ass over here!" Not wanting to get in another fight, Makoto obliged, and carefully made his way next to Enoshima. At least it wasn't that far... He also made sure to put his other shoe back on once he could reach it.

As the two watched shenanigans involving milk tea ensue, Makoto made sure to eat the rice let out for him. He would have eaten it anyway, but after the dry rice thing that happened yesterday, he wanted to make doubly sure. Enoshima was crazy, after all. If she wanted to stop feeding him cause she thought he wasn't being "grateful" enough, then she would. Probably. ...Actually, he didn't know what to think after what happened last night.

Eventually, the one Makoto assumed to be Ishimaru came in with concerns about Togami. He felt his heartbeat quicken as he scanned the monitors for the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, and let out a sigh of relief once he saw him reading in the library. Right, if anything happened to him, it'd be put on the main TV. But the others didn't know that. So, the anxiety continued as Makoto watched everyone split up to go look for him. Enoshima seemed to find it amusing, but not enough to comment on it.

They did eventually find Togami, who turned out to be reading a mystery novel. Not for his enjoyment, though... It was for the killing game. A chill ran down Makoto's spine as Togami expressed his enjoyment for the situation they were in. Could this guy be Enoshima's mole...? He didn't want to believe there was a mole in the first place, but if anyone was, Togami seemed a likely candidate. The Gothic Lolita chick started explaining a zero sum game, then explained Togami's world view. He thought she was just guessing, but it turns out she was right on the money.

And suddenly, after Togami encouraged the others to do better in the killing game, Fujisaki spoke up. _"Th-that's a terrible way to look at it..."_ he said. Togami cocked his head. _"This... isn't a game. Our lives are on the line, you know... To kill your own friends is... is... It's horrific!"_

_"Friends? Who decided that?"_ Togami asked. Surprise covered Fujisaki's face. _"We're not friends. No, quite the opposite. We're in competition- we're enemies. You of all people should understand that, after last trial."_ This was just brutal...!

_"B-but... Maizono-san didn't want to do that. None of us want to do any of this!"_ he cried out.

Togami sneered. _"You go ahead and think that. Just don't come crying to me when the next murder happens."_ He went on to say he wouldn't participate in the breakfast meetings because someone could poison his food, and promptly left the room. A girl with pigtails, apparently Fukawa, agreed with Togami and left the room screaming about how they all hated her or something. After that, everyone dispersed.

The rest of the day was rather uneventful. Makoto fiddled with the bloody dust cloth as he watched the conversations go by. Soon, night time rolled in, and he went to "bed." But before that...

Makoto shakily got up from his seat and walked over to the box cutter still stuck in the wall after Enoshima left through the Monokuma door. His heart thumped anxiously as he stared at it. He didn't know how long it was until he finally pulled it out of the wall. There was still some blood on it. Makoto continued to stare at it before quickly hiding it under one of the desks. He didn't want to think about it anymore.


	10. Searching for That Saving Grace

Makoto woke to the everyday morning announcement. No live performance from Monokuma, no surprise from Enoshima, just the average announcement that played every morning. He met up with Enoshima at their usual spot in front of the TV. Well, if you could call moving a few feet away "meeting up."

Without warning, Enoshima got into her depressed persona. "Oh... You didn't need me to tell you to get over here. Soon enough you won't need me for anything. I really am useless aren't I... Super useless..." she mumbled into her hair.

As much as he hated her, Makoto couldn't just let people talk bad about themselves. "You're not useless..." he said awkwardly.

"Admit it, Naegi-kun. The only reason I'm here on this earth is to bring people despair." She flipped her hair back. "I mean, I've never felt an ounce of hope in my life."

Makoto blinked at her. "Not even an ounce...?" That was kinda sad.

"Yeah, yeah. It's not like I care anyway." The two fell silent after that, the chatter on screen and the quiet whirring of technology being the only sounds left to hear.

Makoto reached for his rice bowl and ate as people talked about Togami and Fukawa. They seemed to agree that Togami could be dangerous. He looked over to Enoshima. Not an ounce of hope, huh? Maybe... maybe if he could bring her some hope, she'd see how messed up this killing game was and call it off...? Makoto was about to dismiss the idea as silly, but then he stopped. He wouldn't know until he tried, right?

His thoughts were interrupted by yelling on-screen. What was going on? He must have spaced out a little. _"I'm not an idiot...! YOU'RE an idiot!"_ Makoto tensed up on instinct. It looked like... Owada and Ishimaru were fighting. He silently hoped no one would get hurt.

 _"Umm... I don't think f-friends should be fighting,"_ Fujisaki spoke up.

Both guys turned towards him. Owada was the one who spoke. _"Huh? What makes you think me and him are friends? This guy's a total tight ass!"_

 _"B-but still..."_ Fujisaki protested.

Ishimaru suddenly yelled out. _"Fujisaki-kun is right! I was just about to suggest we stop fighting!"_ His fists clenched intensely. _"After all, it is a student's duty to study, not to quarrel with classmates!"_

_"And yet you seem to quarrel a lot..."_ Asahina pointed out with a shrug. As Ishimaru ignored her comment, Fujisaki lit up like he just remembered something. He then timidly mentioned wanting to work out but being too nervous to do it alone. Ogami offered, but he declined, saying he'd rather do it with a boy.

Just then Enoshima scoffed loudly. "God, I still can't get over how they went and ruined the surprise like that. What am I supposed to use for his secret now?" she complained.

"Surprise? Secret? What are you talking about?" he asked.

"I've had everyone's secrets all set up for who knows how long, and Fujisaki-kun's was that he was actually a boy. But now that everyone knows, it ruins the surprise!"

Makoto quirked his head. "But I thought you liked your plans getting messed up...?"

Enoshima dramatically flopped lower into her chair. "Yeah, but this isn't even despair. It's just inconvenient." She sat up into her teacher persona. "I suppose threatening to share his secret to the entire world will have to do for his motive."

"Wait- motive!?" he exclaimed. "N-no one's gonna kill over some secret!"

Enoshima glared coolly at him. "Don't be so sure about that, Naegi-kun." Makoto huffed. There's got to be some way to reason with her. Some way to get her to realize that despair isn't as great as she thinks it is. But how? What could he do to try and understand her better?

Later that day, about an hour and a half before night time hit, Owada and Ishimaru got into another argument. They kept on arguing and arguing till eventually they both agreed to "throw down." They weren't just gonna start punching each other, were they? Owada _has_ had a history of punching, so Makoto hoped not.

...Oh. They were just gonna see who could stay in the sauna the longest. That was probably better... but it could still be dangerous depending on how long they stayed in there. The two left the dining hall and headed to the sauna, but as they went inside, the camera switched to Fujisaki looking around in the warehouse.

"Huh? ...How is this more exciting than what was happening before?" Makoto asked. He really didn't understand how the TV worked.

Enoshima rolled her eyes. "It's not. It's just that there's no cameras in the bath house. Wouldn't want to taint your virgin eyes." Makoto's face turned red, unable to find a response. B-but, there were no cameras in there, huh? That meant it was a blind spot for Enoshima. He kept that in mind as he watched Fujisaki poke around in the warehouse. He left shortly, and the TV just kept switching between people in their dorms.

A while had passed, and the two battling it out still hadn't come out once night time hit. Makoto was starting to worry. He carefully went to a desk to sleep at and Enoshima left through the Monokuma door. This was the first time Makoto couldn't actually see what was going on. He hated to admit it, but he'd gotten used to being able to look at all the cameras to see what everyone was doing. And what about Enoshima? How was he supposed to stop her from giving out the next motive? It was true that he didn't believe anyone would kill for that, but it still made him nervous. Despite the concern in his heart, Makoto eventually slipped into dreamland.

The next day, Makoto found that Owada and Ishimaru turned out just fine. In fact, they seemed to be getting along strangely well. "I guess they're bros now...?" He commented while munching on his rice.

Enoshima giggled next to him. "The stronger the bonds while they're alive, the stronger the despair when they die!"

Makoto took a deep, calming breath before asking his question. "Hey, uh... why do you like despair so much anyway?"

Enoshima went into her cutesy persona. "You wanna know more about me? Uuu, I'm so embarrassed!" She fanned her face with her hands.

"U-um, anyway, could you answer my question?" He wasn't really in the mood for Enoshima's antics.

She changed into her serious persona. "You're awfully eager to get an answer. Fine then, I guess I can indulge you just a little bit," she said in a monotone voice. Then she brought out her rock-on hands. "Hope's fuckin' lame! Happy fun times are boring as shit compared to despair!"

"Boring...?" Makoto asked incredulously.

Enoshima nodded. "Everything in this world is so predictable. Despair is about the only thing I can't predict. That's what makes it so exciting...!" She stopped. "But you know... I can't predict you, either." She stared at Makoto, almost like she was staring directly into his soul. He shivered at the thought.

"But what about me makes me so unpredictable? I'm just your average teenage boy..." This wasn't just him trying to delve into Enoshima's mind anymore, he was genuinely curious.

Enoshima dramatically threw her hands into the air. "I know right!? You should be one of the most boring people on the planet! And yet..." She leaned in closer and squinted, as if that'd help her understand Makoto better. "...You're not." He grew increasingly uncomfortable as the sound of Togami berating Fukawa filled the lapse in their conversation.

Finally, Enoshima backed away and stopped staring weirdly at him. Instead, she looked to the direction of the TV. Makoto let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Well that was... insightful. So Enoshima liked despair because she found it exciting? It was crazy, but he guessed he should have expected something like that. Maybe... Makoto could convince her that hope could be exciting? He didn't know if that'd work, but he had to at least try. People's lives were on the line!

And what about that other part? About... about how Enoshima said she couldn't predict him either? Did that mean she thought Makoto was interesting, kind of like how she thought about despair? N-no, he was probably overthinking things. Cause... he wouldn't know how to feel if that was the case.

Well, at least he could say for sure he learned a bit more about Enoshima that day.


	11. A Faint but Hopeful Glimmer

The rest of the day continued on like usual, if not a little more awkward than normal. Neither of them had said a word since Enoshima admitted Makoto wasn't boring, which was why he was surprised when she got up from her seat with a sudden burst of energy.

"It's getting so darn boring in here, so let's get this show on the road already!" she said, muting the TV. Boring, huh...?

Wait, boring!? His heart skipped a beat. Bad things happened when Enoshima got bored. "Wait!" She stopped. "I mean- uh, maybe we could p-play a game or something?" Makoto suggested. He said the first thing that came to mind, so it makes sense that it was a little... dumb... but he was really only trying to distract Enoshima from whatever terrible thing she was about to do!

"Hmmmmmm, I was thinking something a tiny bit different, y'know?" she said in her cutesy voice. "Puhuhu... But it's pawsible I'll take you up on that offur some other time." Enoshima waved as she skipped over to the Monokuma door. Was she making bear puns...? Wait, crap!

"Hey! Wait a second-!" Makoto called out, but she was already gone. Dammit! Without a second to spare, Monokuma himself came out from nowhere and climbed onto the spinny chair with ease. Had Enoshima practiced or something...?

The live announcement started, and Makoto backed away from the speaking Monokuma. He didn't want to accidentally get in the shot. The bear mentioned that it was nearing night time, but that everyone should meet in the gym for an emergency meeting. Emergency, huh... It was probably the motive Enoshima was talking about earlier. Makoto clenched his fists in frustration, which didn't do good for his sore arm. He didn't pay it any mind, though. He was more focused on everyone steadily making their way to the gym.

Enoshima came back out to unmute the TV, looking rather pleased with herself as she did so. Now was his chance-! "You don't have to do this...!" Makoto said with as much strength as he could muster. It wasn't a lot.

She looked at him curiously, an expression which quickly turned into a patronizing smile. "Well of course I don't, cutie patootie!" Umm... "But what kinda Ultimate Despair would I be if I didn't?" Ultimate Despair...? That was new. What an intimidating title... Though that was probably the point.

Soon enough, everyone had arrived at the gym. As they talked among themselves, Enoshima got up to leave again. Wait- she couldn't leave! She'd give out the motive! Without thinking, Makoto grabbed her wrist. "Enoshima, seriously! St-" A stinging pain was left where Enoshima's hand came in contact with his face. The slap stunned him into silence, and Makoto let go of her wrist to hold on to his face.

"Don't touch me without my permission, you little pervert!" Disgust was written all over her face.

A moment passed before Makoto remembered how to talk again. "I-I'm sorry, I-"

"Shut up! I don't have time to hear your lame excuses," Enoshima interrupted as Makoto shrunk into himself. She turned her back toward him. "I've got a motive to give."

And just like that, he was alone.

Makoto sat back down, dazed, as he became aware of his growing dizziness. Monokuma entered the gym with the same disturbing bubbliness as usual. He rambled a bit before passing out envelopes containing everyone's secrets, threatening to share them with the world if no one died in 24 hours. So not only had Makoto failed to prevent the motive from being given out, but he had also made Enoshima angry. He couldn't tell if his hands were shaking from lack of nutrients, frustration, or fear. Probably all of the above. But it was okay...! No one would kill their friend to protect a secret. Trying to take the motive out of the equation was just... a preventative measure.

Makoto took a deep, steadying breath. Everything was going to be okay. Ishimaru seemed to think so too, as he denied the possibility of anyone killing over that to Monokuma's face. Makoto couldn't help but give a small smile at the sight. Even though the situation was terrible, they still had hope.

Monokuma dejectedly left the gym after that declaration, and out came Enoshima. "...What's with that disgusting look on your face?" she scowled.

"Huh? Oh, um..." Makoto looked down at the floor. "I... just thought it was nice how they're keeping hope in their hearts." He looked back up at her, feeling strangely brave. "When I think about the others, it gives me hope too!"

Enoshima smiled, but there was anger in her eyes. Makoto's courage faltered just a little. "God, what's wrong with you? Why can't you just despair already? You're really getting on my nerves."

"I-I don't really know. I guess it's because I'm pretty optimistic by nature-"

"Shut up shut up shut up! The more you talk the more I hate your guts," she interrupted. Then her smile widened. "It's almost as if just you being here gives me despair...!" Enoshima giggled, and a shiver ran up Makoto's spine. "Isn't that just wonderfully awful, Naegi-kun!?"

The night time announcement rang suddenly. Enoshima stayed where she was for a moment before backing up. Jeez, she had been getting way too close. Saved by the bell... "Umm... A-anyway, I'm gonna go to bed now, so..." She didn't give the okay, but she didn't object like she had in the past, so Makoto assumed it was fine to go to sleep. He made his way to the desk he normally slept at and rested his head in his arms. It still hurt his bruised side to lay like that, but the pain was manageable.

As Makoto attempted to enter dreamland, he couldn't help but feel a pair of eyes watching him. Only until he heard the sound of a door closing did the feeling cease.

Chihiro couldn't wait to exercise. That's why he asked Owada to meet him during night time. He knew he was breaking the rules- sorry Celes- but he was just too eager to start his dream to get stronger that he felt it couldn't wait until morning. Sure, there was the problem of the motive... but everyone here already knew Chihiro's secret. They didn't make fun of him for being weak or feminine. That's why he knew he could count on Owada to help him get stronger.

He had already set up his track jacket, water bottle, and towel before hand. So, once 2am neared, Chihiro could go straight to the pool locker room from his dorm. He got there before Owada, which worried him a little bit, that maybe Owada didn't actually want to come, but the feeling quickly subsided at the biker's arrival.

"Oh, you came...!" Chihiro said with a relieved smile on his face.

"'Course I did," Owada replied, looking to the side. "So uh, let's get started, huh?" Chihiro couldn't quite place it, but the man standing in front of him didn't seem to look very happy.

"Um, i-is something wrong...?" he asked.

There was a pause before Owada answered. "...Just Monokuma's stupid fuckin' motive. Who does he think he is, exposing our secrets like that?" A strangled look made it's way to his face.

"O-oh, yeah. Well, um, everyone already knows my secret, b-but I know what you mean." Chihiro almost thought Owada wouldn't be bothered by that, but it seemed even tough guys had weaknesses. He didn't blame him, though.

The two eventually changed into their track jackets and started exercising with Owada giving the occasional tip. It was tough, but Chihiro felt like he could do it with Owada by his side.

At the end of their session, as the two were wiping off and taking swigs of their water, Chihiro spoke up. "...Thank you, Owada-kun. You've really helped me a lot."

"You kidding, man? You're the one who's helped me. I mean, ever since Monokuma gave out that motive, there was just a lump of anxiety gnawing away at me. But exercising here with you? Shit, man, that did a fuckton to help let off steam. So," he gave a thumbs up, "...Thanks. Let's do this again, huh?"

Tears of joy escaped Chihiro's eyes. He didn't think he could find the words to express his thoughts properly, so he simply nodded.

After the two got changed and headed out, Chihiro decided to lag behind a bit. It'd be better if Owada got to the dorms first. After all, he had something to attend to. Once Chihiro got to the hotel area of the school, he turned left into the bath house. He walked up to the lockers and peaked inside the slightly open one. Seeing the laptop still there and in tact, he let out a sigh of relief. Chihiro brought the computer out and sat on a bench, resting the device on his lap.

_"Master, hello! Nice to see you again,"_ the AI greeted.

Chihiro smiled as he typed. _"Hello, Alter Ego. Is everything set up?"_

The visual on screen nodded. _"The download was completed successfully. What would you like me to do for you, Master?"_

_"Do you think you could scan this computer for anything that might be important?"_ he asked Alter Ego.

_"Leave it to me!"_ the AI responded. _"Scanning contents... this may take a few minutes."_ Chihiro waited patiently. _"Scan complete! I found some files that may be important... but they're heavily encrypted. So... it may take a few day before I'm able to get information out of them."_

After assigning that task, Chihiro brought Alter Ego up to date on what's been going on. He then proposed his idea. _"So... I know it's important to make sure Monokuma doesn't know about you, but I think it might be good to tell someone. I want people to know that help is coming. What do you think?"_

The AI processed those words for a moment before responding. _"Hmm... I do think it's important to share important information we manage to collect with others. Maybe... you can introduce me to someone you trust to keep a secret?"_ Chihiro thought for a moment.

_"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind. Good night, Alter Ego."_

_"Good night, Master!"_ Chihiro stretched his sore muscles a little before putting the laptop back in the locker. As he headed back to his room, he thought of people he could tell about Alter Ego. Someone he could trust to keep a secret...


	12. Familiar Voices Call Your Name

Waking up the next morning, Makoto found he was alone. The rice hadn't been set out yet either. That was kinda weird, wasn't it? Well, it probably wasn't too big of a deal. And this was the perfect time for Makoto to check up on his, uh, cut.

He untied the jacket sleeve that had been wrapped around his arm for a few days. The cut wasn't very clean, but at least it seemed to be healing. Makoto put on the sleeve the way it was actually supposed to be worn, and cringed a little once he noticed the state his clothes were in. With them bloodstained and ripped, he wasn't sure he could ever wear these clothes again without being reminded of his time with Enoshima. There went his favorite jacket...

Speaking of Enoshima, where even was she? It had been a few minutes since the morning announcement rang, and Makoto thought she would have been here by now. He suddenly froze as a thought crossed his mind. Could something have happened to her? Even though Makoto hated her, he didn't want anything bad happening to her. He just wasn't that kind of person. Makoto anxiously tapped his fingers on the desk he sat at while he scanned the security footage.

It didn't take long for Enoshima to show up, a bowl of rice in her hand. Makoto jumped up out of his seat, but quickly sat back down due to dizziness. "Enoshima, there you are! Where were you?"

"None of your business, short stuff," she said, walking up to him. She gave him a quick flick on the nose before setting the rice bowl on the desk.

"Ow- what was that for?" Makoto asked, bringing his hand up to his nose. It hurt more than he would have expected it to. Maybe cause of the bruise there... He picked up the rice bowl and started eating right away.

Enoshima shrugged. "I felt like it. I'm awfully bored, y'know?"

Makoto nearly choked on his food. "B-bored? But I thought you gave out the motive last night... Wasn't that enough?"

She let out a dramatic sigh. "Not when no one actually kills anyone! If this keeps up I might actually have to use my mole, y'know?" Makoto was relieved to hear that no one died, but... he should probably learn more about the mole.

"Ah- um, who is the mole anyway?" he asked, looking down at his rice.

Enoshima put on a crown and an accent as she talked. "You don't need _us_ to tell you, peasant. You will find out eventually, whether by your own wit or by being fed the answer. Though, probably the latter if your puny mind has anything to say about it!" She laughed regally. Looked like she wasn't going to tell him. Makoto just had to find a way to stop the mole without knowing who they were.

Chihiro yawned as he made his way to the dining hall. He was starting to think that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to stay up so late. But even though he was tired and his muscles were sore, Chihiro was still happy with how last night went.

He'd also been thinking about who he could introduce to Alter Ego. After getting his food, he sat down next to the person he decided to inform. He made his move while everyone was distracted by Owada and Ishimaru's loud bonding. "Umm... Kirigiri-san? Do you think maybe you could meet with me at the bath house after breakfast...?"

Kirigiri paused before giving a small nod. "Certainly." The boy smiled and continued to eat his food while listening to the banter of his friends.

After finishing up, Chihiro headed to the bath house with Kirigiri not far behind. Once they both got settled, the silver-haired girl was the one to break the silence. "This is something the mastermind can't know about, right?"

Chihiro raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Huh? How'd you know?"

"There are no cameras in this room. A perfect place to discuss such matters," she said, giving the room a scan. "Also, you invited me discreetly so that no one else would notice." Chihiro stared up at her in awe. She was really smart, which was one of the reasons he chose to tell her. He figured Kirigiri would put whatever information he gave her to good use.

"You're amazing, Kirigiri-san...!" he praised.

She looked off to the side. "It's nothing, really. So what did you want to tell me?"

"Oh yeah, s-so..." He walked over to the lockers and opened the door containing the hidden laptop. "This is the laptop from the library. It wasn't broken too bad, so I managed to fix it pretty easily." Chihiro looked over to Kirigiri, who seemed deep in thought. "A-also, I found a flash drive in my room earlier. When I put it in the laptop, it showed an AI program that I made a few years back."

Kirigiri brought her hand up to her chin. "Interesting... Okay then, go on."

He nodded before continuing. "Then... I downloaded the program onto the laptop, and checked on it last night when the download was complete. When I told Alter Ego to scan the computer for anything important- Alter Ego is what I call my program- he found some encrypted files that might be useful when we can get them open. O-oh, but... it might take a few days until then."

"It would seem we have a lead on our hands," she commented.

Chihiro looked down at the floor. "Umm... s-sorry that it's not much..."

Kirigiri stared at him intensely. "Listen, Fujisaki-kun. What you just told me is incredibly important. We may finally start to get some answers about the mystery of this school." She gave a confident, reassuring smile. "Because of you, we have something to look forward to."

He looked up at her. "I-I did something good...?" After Kirigiri nodded in confirmation, Chihiro beamed. "Yay! I'm glad...!"

"Anyway, I'd like to know... Why would you tell me about this?" she asked suddenly.

"Huh? W-well, I just wanted to tell someone about it just in case... And you're really smart, so... I mean, I trust you to keep a secret," Chihiro stammered. His thoughts were a little jumbled together after being questioned so suddenly.

Kirigiri knitted her eyebrows. "Why? How do you know you can trust me?" Huh? Where was this coming from?

"That's... because you're my friend! Of course I can trust my friends...!" he asserted.

She brought a hand to her chest in surprise. "Your... friend?" She looked caught off guard. Did he do something wrong? "...In that case, I suppose I have something to tell you as well."

"Huh? What is it...?" Chihiro asked. This was a little unexpected...!

Kirigiri leaned in close. "Naegi Makoto. The 15th student kept hidden by the mastermind. The mastermind, the one they call the 16th student. Watch out for them." Then she headed for the door.

"What...?" he breathed. 16 students? The mastermind was one of them? What did it mean?

Kirigiri stopped in front of the doorway. "And Fujisaki-kun?" She glanced back. "Be careful of who you trust." Then Chihiro was alone.

"By the way, we're gonna have company soon," Enoshima suddenly announced.

Makoto perked up. "Company?" Did that mean he'd be able to see someone besides Enoshima? In person? "Wh-who's coming?"

She shot up from her seat and struck a pose. "None other than the famed mole-san!"

"Wait, but... wouldn't people notice if someone went missing for a while?" To leave the school and come here... How far even were they from the school? Makoto had originally assumed he was far from Hope's Peak, but if the mole was coming, it couldn't be that far, right? And did Enoshima manually restock the food each night? If she did, there was no way they could be that far from the others...!

Enoshima shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. It doesn't matter either way. We're just going to have a small chat, anyway." She grabbed Makoto's wrist, causing him to stiffen, before leading him to the Monokuma door. "So come on, they'll be here soon."

Makoto's heart raced as he was tugged along- a strong grip, just like the one from before. "A-a-already?" Where were they going? What was going to happen? She wasn't gonna try to kill him again, was she!?

Once they were in the control room, Enoshima finally let go and pointed to the hatch in the ground. When Makoto didn't immediately get in, she put a hand on her hip impatiently. "Well? Are you gonna get in or not?"

He flinched at her demanding question, having expected a burst of pain. When it didn't come, Makoto eased up a little. "Oh... s-sorry." He then climbed down into the hatch without fully knowing why. Using the wall to support his dizzy self, Makoto looked up at Enoshima questioningly when she didn't follow him in.

"You stay in there while I use Monokuma to talk with them. We can't have you interfering, after all," she explained, using a tone of voice that suggested he didn't know the most basic knowledge.

Makoto nodded weakly, feeling unable to argue or even say anything at all. It was probably best not to risk making Enoshima upset. Not when memories of the past flashed in his mind. He slid down to the floor and sat up against the wall, waiting for... the mole to come, he guessed. He tried to steady his breathing as he waited, tried to convince himself that everything was fine as he waited. Soon enough, Makoto didn't have to wait any longer.

"Come in, come in!" he heard Enoshima say above him. "Go ahead and make yourself comfortable!" To that, he heard no response. There was a pause, then Enoshima continued. "Now then, let's begin, shall we?" As Makoto listened, a thought suddenly occurred to him. He was in the hatch area with Enoshima distracted. If he really wanted to, he thought as he gazed down the walkway, he could go through that door he hasn't been inside yet. It could be a way out...! He turned back to Enoshima, who was talking about what had happened earlier in the killing game, and not at all looking at Makoto. He could, but... last time he went into a room unauthorized...

Makoto seized up. He couldn't risk it, not with Enoshima right there. Besides... what would running away do? He couldn't just abandon everyone. He had to help his classmates. If he could convince Enoshima to end the killing game, then everyone would be safe. Running away wasn't an option.

"And despite the fact that she went and killed someone before it got boring then, it's still boring now! I'm disappointed, you know..." Enoshima continued. "But that's where you come in! Now's your chance to shine!"

A deep, gruff voice went through the control panel. _"There's one thing I'd like to ask you..."_ it said. Wait, that voice-! That could only be Ogami, right? After Enoshima made suggestive joke, Ogami, or whoever, asked away. _"Who are they? The 15th and 16th high school students, I mean..."_ Wait, huh!? Kirigiri asked about that too...! Enoshima made a noise of surprise before making it clear she wouldn't answer, and topped it off with Monokuma's signature laugh. The mole didn't say anything more, and she finally shooed them out. After Ogami apparently left, Enoshima looked down the trap door.

"Oh, you're still here," she noted.

"W-why wouldn't I still be here?" Makoto asked. He knew why, of course, but he didn't want Enoshima to think he had considered running away.

She signaled for him to get up and out of the hatch, which he slowly did. "I thought for sure you would've run off somewhere." She giggled, a sound that Makoto had come to dread. "Unpredictable as always, Naegi-kun!"

The two walked back out into the security footage room, and it was hard for Makoto to ignore the tightness in his chest. After all, if he had heard right, Ogami had just been ordered to kill a fellow classmate, and he had done nothing about it.


	13. Just to Drown

Because of the mole's visit, Makoto couldn't help but keep an eye on Ogami. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, it was just... best to be cautious. If something really did happen, maybe he could prevent it this time. Makoto kept that thought close to his heart as he watched Ogami write some sort of note that afternoon.

"Is she serious?" Enoshima said beside him, leaning forward in her seat.

Makoto looked at her curiously. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

She scoffed. "Well, that's fine. I can work around that. It'll get a trial going, and that's all that matters." That didn't answer his question at all, and he was possibly more confused than before, but Makoto knew he didn't like that mention of a trial.

"Seriously, what's going on?" he asked a bit more anxiously.

Enoshima waved him off. "It's fine, it's fine. You'll find out eventually. It's better if it's a surprise, anyway." Makoto swallowed nervously and focused back on the TV screen. He wasn't going to get anywhere if he kept stressing over her riddles.

After she finished writing her letter, Ogami didn't deliver it to someone's door like Makoto expected. Instead, she took it with her all the way to the pool locker room and set it down. Next, she picked up some heavy looking weights and carried them out towards the pool, setting them down near the pool edge. She repeated the process until she had a sufficient amount for whatever she needed them for. There was no way this wasn't suspicious...! Makoto looked past Enoshima and stared at the Monokuma door in thought. If things got bad, could he run to the door to help? Before he could come to a decision, Makoto's head was forcibly turned to the TV.

Enoshima sniffed and wiped away a faux tear with the hand that wasn't holding his face. "I'm gonna need you to watch this. Otherwise, you won't get the despair I oh, so crave." His heart thumped loudly in his chest, but Makoto did as he was told. He watched Ogami walk in the direction of the locker rooms yet again as he tried to gather his train of thought. _Could_ he make a run for it if things got bad? Probably not if Enoshima was holding onto him like this... Why was she still grabbing his face anyway? Did she not trust him to keep looking? Makoto fidgeted in his seat. Did he make her upset? She wasn't gonna like... snap his neck or something, right? Could she even do that in this position? ...He didn't really want to find out.

Makoto's semi-frantic thoughts stopped in their tracks as he noticed what he was looking at. Ogami was heading back to the pool from somewhere, a coiled pool rope in each hand. After taking a seat on the floor near the weights, she started tying half of them to one pool rope, and half to the other. What was she doing with them...?

Next, with a dark look on her face, Ogami tied one pool rope to each wrist. What was she...? She wasn't- was she!? Makoto wanted nothing more than to get up and stop Ogami from doing what he realized she was about to do, but Enoshima was still grabbing his face and he couldn't- he couldn't just-! Some part of Makoto's mind became aware he was starting to hyperventilate, but he made no effort to calm his breathing. Ogami, she- she was about to kill herself! He needed to stop her but Enoshima wouldn't let go he couldn't just get away from her she'd try to kill him again and-!

After giving a small, sad smile, Ogami plunged herself into the pool, the heavy weights pulling her to the bottom. After a pause that felt like an eternity but couldn't have been more than a second, Makoto shot up from his seat and out of Enoshima's grasp. "Ogami-san!!" He started towards the Monokuma door, but tripped before getting even two steps in. Looking back, he noticed Enoshima had held her leg out.

She cackled before giving one of her usual despair rants. "This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I told her to make a move, but watching a dear classmate end her own life is pretty riveting too!" Makoto felt like a cornered wild animal as Enoshima continued. "I can't believe you didn't do anything till it was too late, Naegi-kun. You know, if you actually tried stopping her instead of freezing like a deer in headlights, maybe she wouldn't have ended up casting herself to the fishes!" He covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut as he laid on the ground, not wanting to hear that he had failed to save someone yet again. But... it was true, wasn't it? If he had just acted sooner...! Enoshima nudged Makoto with her foot, bringing him out of his head. It didn't hurt much, but it was still enough to cause him to flinch. "Hey, you aren't ignoring me, are you?"

Makoto quickly sat up, ignoring his lightheadedness. "Ah-! No, I'm not ignoring you!" As much as he didn't want to listen, he couldn't risk giving Enoshima a reason to... do something bad. Makoto shakily picked himself up off the ground. He glanced at the TV, which he immediately regretted. There was Ogami's corpse, floating at the bottom of the pool like one of those underwater mines. It slowly sunk to the bottom, making him sick to his stomach.

Enoshima smirked at Makoto's queasiness. "Good. Now, I'm gonna go snatch that suicide note. It'd hardly be a fun trial if the answer was right there, after all." She scampered off to the Monokuma door before he had a chance to react. Suicide note...? Right, Ogami had a note with her... Wait, Enoshima was gonna take it away? How was that fair!? Makoto watched Monokuma grab the note as fear and anger boiled inside him. The moment Enoshima left the control room, he turned to face her.

"Y-you can't mess with the evidence like that!" he cried out.

Enoshima raised an eyebrow. "I can mess with the evidence as much as I want." She inspected her nails nonchalantly. "It's not against the rules, y'know. If it was, I wouldn't be doing it." Huh? Makoto knew he was the one who accused her of rule-breaking, but he didn't actually expect her to follow them.

"You mean... you wouldn't break your own rules?" He found that a little hard to believe.

Enoshima went into her rock star persona, yelling wildly as she spoke. "Are you shitting me!? Of course I wouldn't break my own damn rules! That'd defeat the whole fuckin' point of this shitshow I'm runnin'!" It'd defeat the point...?

Makoto played with his zipper in an effort to calm his nerves."...Are you talking about despair? Why would breaking the rules mess that up...?"

She crossed her arms. "Cause that'd be cheating. I gotta spread that despair fair and square! How else am I supposed to prove hope is a joke?"

A fire sparked somewhere in his chest. "Hope isn't a joke...! It's what keeps us going! It's what motivates us to get out of bed in the morning. Hope is what keeps the world turning...! You call something like that... a joke?"

Silence proceeded his impromptu speech. Then Enoshima began slow clapping. "Wow, that was about the lamest thing I've ever heard." She gave a sarcastic smile. "Congrats! You just won 1st place for the most unhip guy in the world."

...Convincing Enoshima to join the side of hope might've been harder than he thought.

"Oh hey, look," she said after a beat of silence. Makoto's eyes followed where Enoshima was pointing, and his breath caught in his throat. There on the TV, Ogami's body was spazzing out at the bottom of the pool.

He stared with wide-eyed horror. "What the...? I-I thought she was dead...!" Was she... foaming at the mouth!?

Enoshima shrugged and let out a chuckle. "She's not dead yet, but she might as well be at this point. What, you think drowning takes two seconds?"

"I... I have to save her!" Makoto headed towards the Monokuma door again, but was stopped by Enoshima.

"And what're you gonna do when you get in there? Perform CPR with a robot bear?" she taunted.

Ogami had been drowning that whole time and he hadn't done anything to help. But now that he knew she was still alive...! "I can't just sit down and watch!" Makoto yelled.

"Yes, you can!" Enoshima forcefully pushed him onto a chair. He grimaced in pain from the bruises that were still there. But... now that Makoto stopped to think about it, maybe Enoshima was right. What *could* he do? He hated to say it, but he was totally powerless in this situation. So, with a heavy heart, Makoto silently agreed to just sit down and watch. It wasn't long before Ogami's body became lifeless once more.

Twenty long minutes passed before anyone found the body. _"Sakura-chan...?"_ There was Asahina, standing in the pool area, covering her mouth in shock. Instead of her normal outfit, she wore a swimsuit. _"No... no way!"_ She walked, then gradually sped up to the side of the pool where Ogami drowned. Surprisingly, she dived right in. Makoto couldn't quite see from the camera angle, but it looked like Asahina was busy untying the pool rope from Ogami's wrists. She struggled a little pulling Ogami out of the water, but once she did, she immediately started performing CPR.

 _"Sakura-chan! P-please!"_ Tears disguised as pool water fell down her face and hit the concrete. Makoto knew it was Enoshima's fault. She was the one who put Ogami in that situation. It was just that... he might have been able to save her. That guilt ate away at him as he watched Asahina tearfully call for help in between rescue breaths. 

_"What's all this ruckus about?"_ Togami asked as he entered the pool area. Fukawa peeked out from the girls' locker room.

Asahina continued her desperate attempt at saving Ogami's life. _"Sakura-chan, she's-!"_ She went down for another rescue breath. _"I found her t-tied up at the bottom of the pool!"_

Togami stepped forward, Fukawa close behind. The writer let out a small cry of surprise as the body came into her view while Togami just smirked. _"I see... I was wondering when the next murder would show up."_

"Ah! That's my cue!" Enoshima said, and pressed something at the desk with the computers on it. The body discovery announcement played, making Makoto's stomach flip. It was true, wasn't it? Ogami really was dead this time. He guessed he couldn't have disputed it because he saw it happen, but it didn't quite feel real. Like a dream, or more accurately, a nightmare.

By the time Kyoko reached the scene of the crime, everyone was already there. She silently observed everyone's reactions to the situation. Asahina, dripping wet in her swimsuit, stared in shock. Togami chuckled to himself as he made similar surveys across the room. Fukawa bit her nails nervously, her eyes darting from person to person. Aside from a few exceptions, everyone was tense. That wasn't hard to see.

What was most noticeable, though, was the body. Ogami lay on wet concrete by the side of the pool, water soaking her clothes and hair. Her bluish skin was evidence enough that she died from lack of oxygen. ...Kyoko looked away.

It didn't take long for Monokuma to appear. He marched proudly in the room, holding something in his hand. Once he got to the body, he feigned surprise, holding his paws up to his face. "Say! What a big fish you caught! How's the saying go? One fish, blue fish?"

Asahina clenched her fists. "How could you say something like that!?" she shouted tearfully.

He brought a paw up to his face. "I often wonder that myself when I go to bed at night. How _can_ I say things? I shouldn't be able to, cuz I'm a bear after all!"

"Enough with the games," Togami scoffed. "Just give us what you're here to give us and get out."

"Boy, tough crowd." Monokuma scratched the back of his head. "But it's true! I'm here to give you guys..." He lifted up what he was holding on display. "Shing! The Monokuma File!"

Kyoko took the file out of Monokuma's paws. "Good. You can leave now," she said harshly. He gave a dejected look before walking off and muttering something about "kids these days." Kyoko let out a tired sigh before taking a look at the Monokuma file.

_The victim was Ogami Sakura. The body was discovered in the swimming pool, on the second floor of the school. The cause of death was asphyxiation. No other injuries were noted._

Kyoko looked up from the file. It was time to uncover the truth of Ogami Sakura's death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm curious on how much you guys are interested in what's going on in the killing game. is the balance i've been doing between what's going on in the data room vs the killing game fine, or should i add more or less of something? (i'm still going to include both regardless, because they're both a part of the story, but i'd like to know what you guys think)


	14. Your Body's Trembling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait! i've recently gotten into a new fandom and it's taking up a lot of my thoughts, so it's a little hard to concentrate on this fic;;  
> i don't plan on abandoning it tho, don't worry! just maybe don't expect any quick updates;; that'll only happen if we're lucky. but maybe later chapters will be easier to write, who knows?

Togami Byakuya took his spot in the courtroom. He eyed his suspect carefully. She was staring daggers into practically everyone there. How simple. Byakuya huffed as Monokuma went on needlessly about the rules to the trial everyone should've already been aware of. Finally, the bear quieted down. Let the game begin...

"We already know who did it!" Asahina shouted. She pointed directly at Byakuya, angry crocodile tears in her eyes. "Who else would be cruel enough to kill Sakura-chan than the one who kept calling this a game!?" He crossed his arms and smirked.

Meanwhile, his new stalker was shaking with rage. "H-h-how dare you!? I was w-with Byakuya-sama since n-noon!"

Byakuya's face contorted. "Unfortunately, I can confirm that fact."

"Well... m-maybe you and Fukawa-chan are working together!" Asahina tried. What a desperate accusation.

"As if I'd work together with anyone, let alone _her._ " He didn't even try to hide the disgust in his voice.

Kirigiri decided to butt in. "I don't think we should be jumping right to the culprit. We'll just go around in circles. Instead, let's discuss what we think the time of death is."

Asahina looked down. "I... found her body at 2:30pm. When we were eating lunch she asked to meet me at the pool at that time. We were gonna go swimming..." She burst into tears. Byakuya rolled his eyes.

Fujisaki put a finger to his face in thought. "So... the time of death is somewhere between noon and 2:30pm?"

"I s-saw Ogami go into the pool entrance m-maybe about half an hour b-before Byakuya-sama and I found the body..." Fukawa stammered out. Had she, now? Interesting...

Byakuya pushed his glasses up. "That makes the new time of death between 2:00 and 2:30pm." He smirked. "Plenty of time for Asahina to commit murder." A flash of anger shown in her eyes.

"You think _I_ did it!?" she shouted, balling her fists.

He tilted his head. "Naturally. Your supposed 'friendship' with the victim could have easily been taken advantage of. Adding onto the fact that not only were you the first to find the body, but you were also scheduled to meet up with her..." Byakuya's eyes pierced Asahina. "Those make you the most likely suspect."

Fukawa annoyingly bit at her fingernails. "W-well... I saw Asahina go into the p-pool area only about ten m-minutes before she started calling f-for help..."

"Hey, how come you know who went into the pool when and shit?" Owada asked.

"Byakuya-sama d-didn't want me to c-contaminate the library with my st-stench..." Fukawa blushed, pressing her index fingers together. "S-so I stood right outside the l-library door, and could s-see when anyone went up the st-stairs and to the pool..."

"So Asahina Aoi tied some weights to Ogami Sakura and drowned her in 10 minutes?" Yamada said. "Isn't that a little bit impossible for someone with such a low power level?"

"Perhaps Ogami-san was never tied up in the first place," Celes suggested. "It is possible that the weights and pool rope were a red herring, yes?"

Yet again, Kirigiri veered everyone on the right track. "No. The marks on Ogami-san's wrists show there's no doubt the pool ropes were tied there." Byakuya would need to watch out for her when it was his time to kill.

"I got it!" the hall monitor shouted suddenly. "The killer overheard Ogami-kun and Asahina-kun's conversation, so they went to the pool before the meetup time! Then, after they cruelly drowned Ogami-kun, they escaped the scene of the crime before Asahina-kun got there!"

Owada smiled wide and gave a thumbs up. "Hell yeah, bro. That was smart as shit, man!" Imbeciles...

"B-but I never saw anyone g-go out of the pool area...!" Fukawa cried, frustrated.

Celes brought a fist to her face contemplatively. "Then perhaps they stayed hidden in the pool area. There is a locker there they could hide in until everyone came to the scene, then simply step out during the confusion."

"Then... maybe we should find alibis for that time...?" Fujisaki suggested. "The time of death was 2-2:30pm, so..."

"I was being stalked by the skunk," Byakuya said bluntly.

Fukawa giggled. "He m-means me..."

"I was hanging out with my soulbro!" Ishimaru said proudly.

Owada grinned. "He means me!"

After a pause, Byakuya spoke. "No one else? ...Then that leaves Celes, Yamada, Kirigiri, Hagakure, and Fujisaki as possible suspects." He supposed Asahina was free from suspicion, unless she did something uncharacteristically smart.

"It wasn't me!" Hagakure shouted dumbly.

"Just saying that makes you more suspicious!" Asahina shouted back.

Kirigiri sighed before speaking up. "Everyone calm down. I know this is a stressful situation, but we need to think clearly." She crossed her arms. "Now... how do you think the killer was able to tie Ogami-san's wrists and drown her?"

Hagakure scratched his head. "The killer musta knocked her out, right?"

"Not possible. The Monokuma File clearly stated that no other injuries were present," Togami cleared up. "Did you even look at the file or are your reading comprehension skills below zero?"

"Is it not possible they used some sort of chemical to knock her out?" Celes asked.

"We don't have access to any chemical that does that," Kirigiri countered.

Byakuya effortlessly re-positioned his glasses. "In other words, it's not possible that the culprit knocked Ogami unconscious to tie her up. Very interesting..." Very interesting indeed...

"I see... Th-then, do you think maybe the weights were a diversion? That the killer drowned Ogami-san first and then tied the weights on?" Fujisaki theorized.

"No. If that were the case, the killer would have to get out of the pool dripping wet, and there were no puddles on the ground except for where Asahina-san and Ogami-san came out," Kirigiri asserted. 

Hagakure clutched his head and cried out in fear. "Then it's impossible! We're all gonna die here!" Although screaming and crying wasn't Byakuya's style, he had to admit they were backed into a corner. There had to be something they overlooked...!

Kirigiri stared from face to face with intensity. "Listen to me. There's still one other option we haven't gone over."

Byakuya couldn't help but lash out a little. "Then out with it!" Of course she had been hiding things...

"This case is possible... if Ogami Sakura-san were to kill herself."

Makoto let out a breath of relief. It was a good thing Kirigiri was so smart. He wouldn't have been able to forgive himself if everyone ended up dying from a case he could have prevented... But of course Enoshima was the one to be angry at. None of this would have happened if it weren't for her. That's why it was so important to convince her to be on the side of hope.

Oh, right. Now that he could relax a little, Makoto remembered that he should be looking for how Enoshima cleaned up the crime scene. Taking his eyes away from the main screen, he scanned the wall of security cameras to look for the pool. And- huh!? The body was gone already! In it's place was a masked figure with a long white coat fishing out the pool rope and weights. Was that... Enoshima?? But wasn't she controlling Monokuma? Was it someone else? A lackey of her's or something? There were too many questions for even Makoto himself to keep up with. At least he knew _someone_ was out and about during the trial...

Maybe... he could go and see if Enoshima was there? If Makoto just silently opened the door a crack, she wouldn't notice, right? He slowly stood up as he eyed the door. It'd be fine, right? She wouldn't get mad and try to chop his head off or something, right? He inched closer and closer to the door, beads of sweat dripping down his face.

After what seemed like forever, Makoto reached his destination. Staring straight at the Monokuma face on the door didn't do much to soothe him. He placed a shaky hand on the doorknob and licked his dry lips. "Here goes nothing..." he said quietly to himself. Makoto turned the doorknob.

It didn't budge.

"Oh, it's locked..." Well now he felt a little silly. All that hyping up for nothing... Makoto couldn't help but feel a little relieved though. At least he didn't have to confront Enoshima. He went back to his seat in front of the TV.

After Kirigiri gave a brief explanation on how Ogami killed herself, Byakuya was left speechless. "That's...!"

"That's terrible! Why would Sakura-chan do something like that!?" Asahina demanded tearfully. Byakuya would've liked to know that as well...

Kirigiri gave a quick, suspicious glance at Monokuma. "...It could have had something to do with the motive. Ogami-san might have wanted to protect all of our secrets."

Byakuya scoffed. "Why would anyone commit suicide just to protect secrets that aren't even theirs?"

She gave a hard glare. "Isn't it obvious? Because people care for others. Though I'm sure that's something you wouldn't understand."

"Hey, hey! Enough chanter (chatter banter)! Any burning and roasting can happen in your own time. But since it seems you've reached your verdict, now's the time for voting time!" Monokuma declared.

The votes went in, and the bear confirmed it a suicide. Apparently, because of that, there would be no execution this time, much to the bear's dismay. He even pulled out a suicide note that he had apparently taken from the scene of the crime, and was about to read it out loud to everyone.

The letter, of course, explained that Ogami had committed suicide and that everyone could use the letter as an easy way to end the trial. But that wasn't the surprising part. In her letter, Ogami had also confessed to being the mastermind's mole. Byakuya had already considered the possibility of a mole, but it was just that; a possibility. And she had even been ordered to kill someone if things got boring. Asahina was crying, but that didn't matter right then.

"Are you saying you planted a spy in this killing game?" he directed at Monokuma. "Having someone from the inside kill after a few days of no one making a move completely disrupts any and all balance. This game should be fair for everyone involved." Byakuya sneered. "At least Ogami was enough of a fool to off herself before she could do the same to anyone here. Good riddance."

Asahina was seething, looking just about ready to burst, but Kirigiri was the one to speak. "Have you completely forgotten the reason Ogami-san committed suicide? The mastermind held her dojo hostage and told her to commit murder, but Ogami-san saw our lives more valuable than hers. She died so none of us would have to. And you still call her a fool?" What did she say? Ogami... sacrificed herself? It wasn't just her being under too much stress?

"...Of course she was a fool. Sacrificial behavior has no place in a competitive game such as th-" SLAP! Byakuya blinked. He put a hand to his face and stared at his assailant.

"Stop talking! I'm sick of you talking about Sakura-chan that way!!" Asahina yelled. Tears pooled down her face and her fists were clenched tight.

He paused to glare at her before continuing. "...I was about to say, that's precisely why I'm backing out." Everyone in the room froze in surprise.

Monokuma put a paw to his face and tilted his head. "Say whaaat? Isn't it a little early for you to be backing out?"

Byakuya crossed his arms. "It can't be helped. After all, if people are going to be sacrificing themselves for the enemy, it drains the fun out of it. Of course, if Ogami just turns out to be a fluke, I might consider rejoining. But know this," he made a fist at Monokuma, "In the name of my family, I _will_ defeat you. That, I promise."


	15. Part of You is Looking Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been forever but i am back with another chapter!!! apologies for the long wait but i've been quite distracted with other things. please enjoy!!

The night after the trial, Aoi lay sobbing in her bed. Her tears fell down her face and tickled her nose. She knew she shouldn't have been crying. Sakura wouldn't want her to cry like this, would she? But it was just... too much. She was sick of it. She was sick of dead friends and she was sick of being stuck in this terrible school.

Aoi wanted to leave so badly... but she couldn't. And she couldn't think about it, either. She didn't want to be tempted. And Sakura wouldn't want that, even if she _was_ a mole for the mastermind. Even if it meant Aoi could be free, she just couldn't sacrifice any of her friends. Sakura sacrificed herself for everyone else, after all. Aoi squeezed her eyes shut.

An idea popped in her mind. Donuts. That's right, donuts could always cheer her up...! Aoi sat up and wiped the tears off her face. She quickly got dressed and stepped outside, hoping to find any donuts of any kind. She gave a brief apology for breaking the night time rule, and went on her way.

Suddenly, Aoi heard a strange noise coming from the bathhouse. She jumped. "What's that sound?" she whispered to no one in particular. Even though her heart was thudding, she went to investigate. "I-is...?" she timidly called out. "Is someone there?" As Aoi walked forward, she noticed a green light coming through a partially open locker. Holding her breath, she opened the door fully. What greeted her was the face of Fujisaki. Aoi couldn't help but let out a yelp; she definitely wasn't expecting that. The creepy atmosphere didn't help either.

She glanced around, not knowing what to do, before resorting to closing the locker again. The weird green glowing Fujisaki head hadn't responded to her at all, so she might as well have left it alone. She'd tell the others in the morning. Probably. If she wasn't hallucinating, of course. Aoi left the bathhouse and crept back to bed, forgetting about her lust for donuts moments prior.

The Monokuma announcement woke Makoto up, and the first thing he noticed was how warm he was. He stretched a little before taking off his jacket and tying it to his waist. That helped a little bit, but he was still warm. Whatever. It was uncomfortable, but it wasn't the end of the world.

Trying to think of something other than the temperature, Makoto's mind drifted to last night's trial. He was surprised that Enoshima had read Ogami's suicide note in front of everyone, but she had left out a part near the end that could have been important. Even though that was frustrating... Makoto was still happy the truth came out. Togami had even backed out of the killing game because of it! Maybe things were finally starting to look up.

Makoto almost took back that thought as Enoshima walked up next to him and grabbed his wrist. He tensed up as she stared at the cut on his arm. "Ugh, seriously? Why does anyone ever have kids, they're so annoying to take care of!" she complained.

"W-we're the same age..." Makoto mumbled. He yelped as Enoshima dragged him along to the Monokuma door. They went into the control room and down the hatch, and Makoto was starting to wonder if he did something wrong before they stopped by the shelves of food. His stomach growled just looking at it. "Okay, so... what are we doing?" he asked, leaning against a nearby shelf.

Enoshima took out a loaf of bread. "Your cut's infected. I'm getting you some actual food so you don't fuckin' drop dead." Huh? He touched the skin near his cut, and sure enough, it was pretty warm and swollen. How did Enoshima notice before him? And... how come she wanted to help?

Makoto watched her walk to a fridge as he spoke. "You're... making sure I don't die?" That was good, right? Was Enoshima finally starting to show a good side to her?

"Yup. It'd be so boring if you die to an infection." She pulled some ham and cheese out of the refrigerator. "If you die, I want it to be by my own hands, y'know?" Oh. Well that put a dampen on Makoto's mood. Still, it wasn't all bad. It did look like he was getting some more filling food. He silently watched Enoshima make a sandwich, trying not to look too eager.

She shoved the sandwich in Makoto's direction. "Here. Eat it." He quickly thanked her before digging in. He didn't even notice that Enoshima had went and gotten him a cup of orange juice while he was eating. He happily ate and drank in silence as Enoshima watched, a peculiar look on her face.

"So... why haven't you killed me yet?" Makoto awkwardly asked as he was finishing up. "I know you said you want to, but... is that really true?"

Enoshima raised an eyebrow at him and smiled devilishly. "Are you trying to tempt me? I didn't expect you to be so daring!"

His heart skipped a beat and he automatically took a step back. "Th-that's not what I meant! It's just that... How should I put this...? You say you want to kill me, but... you haven't actually done that yet. O-obviously..." Gah, he was really messing this up! "There's gotta be a reason for that, right? Like, y'know, maybe you have some... good in you?" Makoto held his breath as he awaited a response.

There was a pause before Enoshima laughed uproariously. "How naive can you get!? Don't you remember when I tried to kill you that one time? LOL!" She wiped a tear from her eye as Makoto stood tense and awkward. "Listen up! The only reason I do anything is for despair/entertainment. You really think someone like me has 'good' in them? God, what a cheesy line..."

"W-well, yeah, maybe!" She had to, otherwise what would Makoto even do? "Because... I still have the hope that you can be a good person if you just tried."

"That's the attitude I love to hate to see. Keep having that reckless hope, Naegi-kun. It'll make it all the more painful when despair wins." Enoshima grinned hungrily.

Makoto's grip on the nearby shelf tightened. "No, that's wrong! Hope will never lose to despair!" He stared at her fiercely.

She rolled her eyes. "Jeez, you're sounding more and more like someone else I know." She took the empty cup out of Makoto's hand and continued. "Anyway, I'm done with this back and forth. Do what you gotta do then we're heading up."

His muscles relaxed just a little bit. "Huh? Oh, uh. Yeah." Makoto walked over to the bathroom, and after looking back to confirm he wasn't doing anything wrong, went through the door.

"What'd you mean you found Fujisaki-kun in a locker?" Ishimaru questioned.

Chihiro's eyes widened. "I-I wasn't in a locker...!" This wasn't good. Asahina had found Alter Ego and was telling everybody in front of all the cameras. He looked over to Kirigiri. She was staring at Asahina with calculating eyes.

"Well... I don't know if it was actually Fujisaki. I just saw his head, a-and it was glowing!" She frantically looked between everyone. "I swear I'm not making this up! Or at least... I don't think I am."

Kirigiri stole a quick glance at the camera. "We should investigate this further. The bathhouse, you said?" Chihiro's heart skipped a beat. Having everyone find out about Alter Ego all at once was risky, but it was probably better than talking about it out in the open. He gave a quick nod to himself in an attempt to feel more confident about it. Kirigiri knew what she was doing.

"I wonder what's going on in there..." Makoto thought out loud, watching Fukawa wander the halls. She was probably looking for Togami.

Enoshima had her head rested in her hand. "They've probably found a certain something that'll give them some answers. I should probably stop their snooping, but it's more fun this way."

"Huh? What'd they find?" he asked. "And what does it have to do with Fujisaki-kun's head?"

In the blink of an eye, Enoshima switched into her teacher persona. "The Fujisaki-kun head in question most likely refers to an AI programmed by Fujisaki-kun named Alter Ego. The students most definitely will use it to uncover secrets hidden within the laptop."

Makoto took a deep breath. He felt hope buzz inside him at those words, and he wished Enoshima would feel that too. Anything to get her to stop this killing game of hers. "So you agree that them accomplishing things is more fun, right?"

Enoshima abandoned her teacher persona in favor for laughing in his face. "Are you serious!? That's not what I was saying at all! I'm saying its fun to see them cling to hope when in the end, all they'll see is despair." Her eye twitched, and Makoto felt the need to shrink into himself. "God, it's hilariously disgusting how hard you're trying. It makes me want to claw my eyes out." Her giggle sounded innocent, but it was anything but. "You're really good at this, Naegi-kun! I'm glad I kept you around."

How was he supposed to respond to that? "Umm... yeah." It wasn't looking the best for Plan Get Enoshima On the Side of Hope, but it wasn't looking the worst either. Besides, he couldn't give up. Makoto didn't know what he'd do if he did.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks so much for reading! this is mostly self-indulgent, and i don't know how often i'll be updating, but thank you regardless! kudos and comments would mean a lot, tell me what you think!
> 
> titles along with vague plot points were inspired by the song Mind Game by Sapphire and Master Andross! give it a listen!


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